Fragments of Time
by ShadowMeowth
Summary: A compilation of short stories featuring Hope and Lightning. Mainly based on Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, it may feature works based on XIII and XIII-2 in the future.
1. Twilight

**A/N: **_This drabble was based on a dream I had some months ago. In that dream, Hope was in his 14-year-old body from _**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_, and so I had a headcanon in which he didn't get back his adult body at the end of the game. It was written before the novel was released so we know what happened to him, and some of these stories revolve around this dynamic. You may consider it a possible alternate ending._

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_**Fragments of Time**_

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**Twilight**

_**_Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII_**_

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Lightning Farron's icy-blue eyes slowly opened in the dim light of the twilight that came through the window. She stirred lazily on the bed, still sleepy. She loved to enjoy the peace she had finally found in the new world.

She slightly moved her head to the window. There, silhouetted against the reddish light, was a slender teen around fifteen, almost sixteen, with messy silver hair and soft, sweet features. His loose white shirt and gray pants made him look older than he was.

Or maybe that's what Lightning thought, since she knew the secret of the soul the boy who lived with her harbored.

The teen turned to her when he noticed she was awake. A warm half-smile spread across his face, which seemed to light up when he laid eyes on her.

Lightning thought there was nothing more beautiful and mesmerizing than Hope Estheim's smile.

As if he read her thoughts, Hope's smile widened. He turned to the window and carefully downed the orange-colored fabric blind, which under the light of the sunset tinged the room with amber shades.

In that warm penumbra, Lightning delved into the sight of Hope's frame. Her heart was pounding, something that only this boy had managed to do. He turned to her again, with that smile that absolutely captivated her. She was trapped in his net.

Hope moved towards her, climbed into the bed and, still smiling, he got on top of her. Lightning couldn't help but lose herself into the loving stare of his green eyes, her heart beating rapidly and her cheeks dyed scarlet. She let out a content sigh as she felt the boy's breath next to her ear.

"How was your nap?", Hope whispered to her; his sweet, caressing voice, deep like an adult's, sent a shiver down of her spine. She needed to hear his voice every day, so close and warm: it reminded her that he actually was an almost twenty-seven-year-old young man, who was so much in love with her as she was with him.

"Pretty nice…", Lightning replied in the same tone, sighing when she felt Hope's lips gently grazing her earlobe, and then going down her neck. "The only thing left for being completely perfect was you."

He softly chuckled, slowly trailing his lips along her jaw, the soft curves of her cheekbones, tracing every line of her face, before pressing them on Lightning's lips, caressing them gently and gingerly with his, briefly pulling away every few seconds to let the young woman catch her breath before kissing her over and over, drinking into the happiness and joy of being together at last, after so many centuries separated in time and space, in this new beginning.

"Here I am."


	2. Nightmare

**A/N: **_I wrote this one for the Hoperai Week in Tumblr. As I mentioned, I followed the headcanon that Hope didn't regain his adult body back when he was reborn in the new world, before the novel was released. In any case, here it is, some fluffy angst._

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**_Fragments of Time_**

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**Nightmare**

**_Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII_**

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A loud, piercing scream suddenly woke up Lightning in the middle of the night.

"LIGHT!"

She turned around between the sheets, her heart racing, and confirmed what she already feared when she saw Hope by her side, stirring in his dreams covered in cold sweat and a grimace of deep suffering on his face.

Lightning rushed to shake his shoulders vigorously, trying to get him out of the pit of pain and agony that his dreams had plunged him in.

"Hope! Come on, wake up! It's just a nightmare!"

"No… No! …" the boy whispered, wincing as if he was protecting himself from something. "Stop it! Please, stop it! …"

Lightning hated those nightmares. She hated them so much. She couldn't bear seeing Hope writhe in pain, his voice tinged with absolute horror and panic, his desperate pleas…

"Light! Help me, Light! …", that cry brought her back to reality. When she looked at Hope again, she felt an icy claw clenching her heart when she saw the tears welling up in his closed eyes. "Light!"

Unable to take it anymore, Lightning fell on him; she wrapped her arms around him and tried to hold him to make him stop stirring.

"Hope, I'm here…", she whispered in his ear, trying to wake him up. "Don't worry. I'm here with you. Wake up…"

It took a couple of minutes to make him react, but in the end, Hope's eyes slowly opened. Lightning pulled away a bit from him, and she wished she had not: as always, his eyes were filled by absolute terror, that gleam of insanity, how his pupils seemed to drown in his irises and these in the white of his eyes. His heart was pounding wildly, he was breathing like a fish out of water and he was drenched in sweat.

"… Light?", Hope muttered, his voice broken and strangled, when his terrified eyes managed to focus on her.

She let out a relieved sigh and tightly embraced the small body of the boy, cursing herself as she always did every time she witnessed one of those episodes for allowing Hope to suffer such a torture for nearly two centuries.

"It's me, Hope. I'm right here, by your side. I'm always by your side", Lightning murmured soothingly, trying to calm him down. "It was nothing but a dream."

Hope clung to her desperately, taking refuge in her arms, shaking like a leaf, unable to hold back the tears. Lightning felt her heart break into a million pieces when she felt the boy's body convulse with each sob, clinging to her as if she was to disappear at any time. She stroked his silver hair softly, cradling him in her arms.

How brutal must've had to be the suffering the youth that had once been the brave leader of humanity endured to be left scarred like that.

"Light", Hope managed to say after a while, between muffled sobs. Lightning's heart cracked every time she heard his voice, the voice of the young adult he really was, so broken and desperate. "Please don't leave me… Don't leave me alone… Don't abandon me…"

"I won't abandon you", she whispered in his ear, hugging him with the same need he was clinging to her with, and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "I won't ever leave again, you hear me? I won't ever leave you alone again. I promise you, Hope. We'll be together, no matter what."

Hope's breathing calmed and his tears dried gradually upon hearing her words. He still clung to her on dear life, but he no longer trembled so much. He looked up at her, and Lightning saw fear, pain, despair, in his green eyes… but also such intense, visceral, true love.

"… I trust you, Light."


	3. Tickles

**A/N: **_This one was for Hoperai Week in Tumblr as well. Fluff galore, which is pretty much unusual coming from me._

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_**Fragments of Time**_

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**Tickles**

_**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_

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In many ways, the fact Hope hadn't yet regained his true adult body greatly frustrated Lightning. He was growing up a lot faster than expected, since in just six months he looked like a sixteen-year-old, but even so, it was irritating for both having to wait.

But, in other things… it was quite practical.

Lightning had woken up early in the morning, as usual. Hope's sleep schedule varied, but last night he had another of his terrible nightmares and he had such a hard time trying to go back to sleep. So she decided to let him rest as much as he needed.

It was almost noon and Hope hadn't given any sign of life yet. Lightning sighed, shaking her head, and went up the stairs to the upper floor of the small house in which they both lived.

She leaned against the door frame of the bedroom they shared, watching the slender figure of the teen sleeping peacefully wrapped in the sheets. She felt bad having to wake up him… He looked so adorable. A feeling that was slowly being replaced by Hope's attractiveness as he grew up, but still lingered in his teenage form.

But she had to wake him up, or he wouldn't sleep that night.

Lightning came to the bed, knelt beside him to get to his height and slightly shook his shoulder.

"Hope", she said to him with a smile. There was no answer but a slight groan, and she insisted with a little more force. "Come on, sleepyhead. It's time to get up."

"Mph…", the teen turned his back to her, wrapping himself with the sheets, more asleep than awake. "Give me just a little more…"

Lightning sighed, crossing her arms. The days Hope was a heavy sleeper, it was almost impossible to make him react.

But then she had an idea. Now that Hope hadn't yet regained his adult body and he still wasn't as tall as she was, it would be easier to put the plan into practice.

"Very well, Hope. You asked for this", Lightning murmured, smiling mischievously. As quick as lightning, true to her name, she climbed into the bed, boxed Hope between her arms and pinned his legs with hers.

"… Light?", still half-clouded with sleep, Hope's green eyes tried to focus into her, confused. "What are you–?"

Before he could even finish the question, Lightning wriggled her fingers against the teen's sides, with that naughty smile on her lips. Immediately, Hope flinched instinctively trying to protect his flanks, while a muffled laugh escaped his throat.

"Light, no! Please, stop tickling me!", he managed to stutter between laughs, unsuccessfully trying to get rid of her, but Lightning had the advantage in that fight. She mercilessly attacked his sides, his belly, his neck, so quickly that Hope couldn't even see the young woman's hands coming.

"This is what happens when you ignore me…", Lightning said maliciously, deftly catching his right arm to slide her fingers over his ribs. "Such lousy regards you have with me…"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, Light!, but, please, stop!", Hope could barely breathe from laughter, curling as if he could protect himself that way from the tickles. Lightning ignored his pleas and continued to do her thing, laughing as well.

"You should have thought about it before. Now it's time you pay the consequences."

For a few more minutes, Lightning kept torturing Hope with all the tickling, until, without warning, he gathered his remaining forces and managed to escape from her grip and pull her down, trapping her in the same way she pinned him earlier on.

"I've got you…", Hope grinned mischievously, gasping, with his face dyed scarlet, his silver hair messier than usual and his white shirt completely wrinkled. He held Lightning's wrists in his hands, although she made no effort to release herself.

"Oh, damn…", Lightning gave him the same playful smile. "Looks like you're not as asleep as it seemed. You even managed to catch me off guard…"

Hope leaned forward, without losing the smile that drove Lightning crazy, something he perfectly knew. He stopped his face barely an inch from hers; the young woman felt his warm breath on her lips.

"Cornering me like this, Light…", Hope murmured, never taking away his eyes from hers, staring at her with a naughty sparkle in them. "Such little respect you have for my personal space."

Before she could reply, the teen closed the distance between them, linking his lips with Lightning's and gently pressing against them, eliciting a sigh from the young woman that was drowned in the kiss. She immediately relaxed, as she always did whenever Hope took the lead.

"Look who's talking", Lightning jokingly protested when they pulled away, raising her eyebrows. "You claim I invade your personal space when you're the first one that joins in to do the same."

"And more that I could do so…", Hope snickered, accompanying his words by slowly trailing Lightning's neck with his lips. "But that moment hasn't come yet."

Lightning giggled, and pinned down as she was, brushed her nose against Hope's forehead to get his attention while trying to free her legs from his.

"It's you who doesn't want to", when Hope looked up, she stole him a quick kiss, and then looked at him pretending a pout. "What a gentleman you are, making your lady having to ask you to invade that space…"

"Don't tempt me", Hope smiled naughtily, though he was blushing as much as her. "How about I pay you with your same coin?"

"Oh, no. No way", Lightning stirred, giggling, trying to shake Hope off of her. "Don't even think of tickling me!"

"It's you who started it, Light", Hope replied, sliding a finger deliberately slowly down the young woman's side. "What goes around, comes around."

"Come on, I did it for your own good!", Lightning sulked, but that expression didn't last long when a small laugh escaped her mouth. "After what happened last night, I thought you'd feel better after laughing a bit, don't you?"

Hope's gaze softened as he realized what Lightning truly intended to achieve with that tickle attack. He stared at her so lovingly that for a few second Lightning was left breathless, drowned in his marvelous sea-green orbs.

But not so long after, Hope gave her that mischievous smile of his, and caught her lips between his in a playful kiss that Lightning didn't hesitate to return.

"If that's so, then let me return the favor… As long as you agree about I invade your personal space."


	4. Blood

**A/N: **_Another story I wrote for Hoperai Week. I'd always wanted to write something like this, and it gave me the chance to do it. It's one of my favorite drabbles I've written._

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_**Fragments of Time**_

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**Blood**

_**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_

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Going back to a relatively normal life was something that both Lightning and Hope greatly thanked, specially after everything that had happened. Yes, there was still the fact of the situation Hope was stuck on, and both –as well as their friends– kept their powers. But otherwise and compared to their recent experiences, it was a fairly normal life.

Obviously, it had its drawbacks. Particularly for Lightning.

It had been more than six months already since they had arrived to the new world, but she didn't get used again yet to the monthly women's issues.

"I hate being a woman", Lightning complained, lying on the couch, her head on Hope's lap. It usually was the other way around, but that day she was worn out by the pain. "And until now I didn't remember why."

"Exactly since last month", he teasingly said, stroking her hair. "You always say the same thing every time. But, you know, I like you being a woman."

"Oh yeah, you're not the one who bleeds to death at the slightest movement you make, your bowels hurt as if you had a thousand knives stabbing you and suffer these terrible headaches…", she snorted out of sarcasm. "How easy is to get only the best part, huh?"

Hope gave her an amused, yet tender, smile.

"Fortunately or not for me, I can't give you my opinion. As you probably understand, it's not a subject I'm very experienced on."

"No, I guess not. Otherwise, I'd be seriously worried", Lightning raised her eyebrows; Hope laughed at her comment. "Anyway, I can't take it against you. You've got enough having to endure my bad days each month."

"And you've got enough having to endure those bad days", he replied smiling. "It's a pleasure for me to look after you. It's usually you who look after me."

That was true, in part. Hope was an adult despite his looks, and he could take care of himself overall. He was the one who did the housework while Lightning was working at the local newspaper, and who was in charge of the cooking. But he had always been sickly, and fell ill with considerable ease, which is why she had to look after him.

"You're such a sweetheart", Lightning smiled wearily. Hope had insisted she stayed home that day. He had left a soup boiling in the stove, and had been all morning with his eyes after her. "I don't know what I have done to deserve having you here by my side."

"Neither do I, but honestly, I don't care. It's enough for me being with you, after all the time I spent searching for you. Even if it is in this form", Hope said opening his arms a bit, as if he were indignant.

Lightning laughed, but the simple effort made her cringe in pain, and she put a hand to her lower belly with a grin.

"Damn it…"

Hope frowned, concerned. Maybe it was because her body had been modified at the hands of the gods, but Lightning had been bleeding heavily, more than usual, since she regained her fully human condition. He hated to see her in so much pain: the gods broke the bodies of both, in different ways.

He wondered if he could do anything to ease her pain. He wasn't a medical expert, but he knew there was something he could do… He had an idea. He could try it.

The teen carefully and shyly slid his hand over Lightning's belly. The touch made her wince, partly because of the pain and partly because of the shiver that ran through her.

"Hey!, what are you doing?"

"Don't you worry", Hope gave her a sweet half-smile. "Well now, tell me where it hurts."

Lightning looked at him, unsure, slightly flushed, but eventually took Hope's hand in hers and led it to the exact point of her lower abdomen.

"There. Whatever you're planning, please be careful, it hurts."

"I know. Close your eyes and relax."

Though still reluctant, Lightning obeyed. Hope concentrated and channeled his healing magic through his hand, transferring it to the inflamed womb of the young woman. He hadn't used a Cure spell since he came to the new world as such, but it seemed to be going well, judging by Lightning's blissful face.

He continued casting his healing magic for a few minutes until he thought it was no longer necessary. He withdrew his hand and placed it over hers.

"You feel better now?", he asked softly, smiling sweetly. Lightning slowly opened her eyes, smiling back.

"Much better… The pain almost vanished."

He widened his smile, and gently squeezed her hand.

"Now that we know that magic works, you won't have to bear such bad days."

Lightning snuggled against him, smiling and blushing. She wondered again if she really deserved to have Hope by her side, but the fact was that he was right. Why should she ask?

"Thanks, Hope. I'm sorry for being such a nuisance every month."

"Don't say that", Hope replied shaking his head. "It's a pleasure for me to look after you. I can't be happier when protecting you."

"C'mon… It's not I'm gonna die for this, and besides, I know you enjoy it more when I'm the one looking after you", Lightning laughed, but her blush deepened. "Though… I don't mind you 'protect' me from time to time. Actually… I like it when you do it."

Hope chuckled, leaned over her and placed a soft kiss on her nose, a sweet smile on his lips.

"I know."


	5. Song

**A/N: **_This one was inspired during my second playthrough of _**LR: FFXIII**_, while doing missions in Luxerion. I guess you'll guess why._

_The other two songs I pictured Hope playing are _Hope's Theme_ from _**XIII-2**_ and _Sunset Path_ from _**LR**_._

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_**Fragments of Time**_

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**Song**

_**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_

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Lightning suddenly awoke in the middle of the night. The first thing she noticed was the absence of Hope's warmth by her side; the cold sheets were evidence that he wasn't with her for a while. Her second reaction was turning around sleepily to the clock on her nightstand: past one o'clock in the morning.

She slowly sat up, concerned. Where could Hope be at such late hour? This wasn't normal for him. Every time the young woman woke up, he was beside her. At least it had been that way for the last month. Could something be wrong?

_"__Stop thinking like a paranoid girlfriend"_, Lightning chided herself. _"Maybe he's just gone to the bathroom."_

Though, if the sheets were as cold as they were, that meant Hope was gone for at least half an hour. That left only two options: either he was constipated, or he wasn't in the bathroom.

Lightning sighed, got up from the bed and, a bit tottering from sleep, left the room. To be fair, she had no reason to worry, she knew that: if Hope had one of his nightmares she'd have noticed. It had to be something else.

And truth be told, Lightning didn't like not knowing where he was. She had reunited with him only two months ago, and the possibility of losing him terrified her. Hope was the only person she was sure that wouldn't ever leave her alone, and when something like that happened, she couldn't help but feeling that irrational fear.

She went downstairs carefully, her eyes adjusting to the dim light they always left on in the living room.

"Hope?", she called, rubbing her eyes. "Where are you?"

There was no answer. Lightning sighed and scratched her head. If Hope were in the living room or in the kitchen he'd have heard her. She had already checked the bathroom. And as she passed the studio's door she had seen the light was off.

She was about to give up and turn to the phone when she suddenly heard a very faint sound. Lightning looked up in alert, trying to identify the source. It seemed to come from the large living room's window. She took a few steps towards it, listening; as she came closer, she realized it was music. From a stringed instrument, no doubt.

When she was next to the window, she also heard the sound of a voice. Almost inaudible, but recognizable enough for her, and it was certainly singing.

Lightning smiled. She now knew where she could find what she was looking for.

She left the house and headed to the small grove next to it; despite being late summer, it was a bit cold at that hour, and Lightning rubbed her arms as she walked, cursing her idea to go out only wearing her nightgown. Luckily, as she moved, the music got increasingly louder, as well as the voice.

Finally she reached the edge of the grove, about forty yards from their house. There, sitting under a tree, his back to her, Lightning found Hope with a guitar in his hands, playing a tune that sounded both melancholic and hopeful at the same time, accompanied by his voice. From what she could hear, the song spoke of times past, of what once had been and no longer was, and the wish to get back what was lost.

She hid behind a tree and watched him in silence, listening to that song and letting Hope's voice get over her. She never heard him sing before, and she knew that if he found out she was listening he'd likely get so nervous he couldn't keep going. She wanted to listen to the end. Furthermore, if she felt alluded by the lyrics of the song, being sung by Hope turned that feeling as tenfold. The idea of Hope singing a song for her made her blush slightly. It was a stupid cliché, yes, but she had to admit she liked it, even though the young man didn't even know she was listening.

It was incredible, Lightning often thought. Even without being aware, Hope always found the way to get to her heart.

When Hope finally finished the song, Lightning saw him take a deep breath, humming something that he lazily accompanied with a casual guitar melody. He looked relaxed, sitting there on the grass, with his loose white shirt and also loose gray pants, his messy silver hair shining under the moonlight. A version of Hope loads nicer than the one she often had to see, when his horrible past experiences assailed him in form of nightmares.

Once she had watched and heard him enough, Lightning decided to come out of her hiding. She walked slowly toward him; absorbed as he was, Hope didn't notice her presence and continued humming, his long fingers absently stroking the guitar strings.

"Hope…", she called him softly. Though she tried not to scare him, her caution didn't help much: the young man almost jumped on the spot, startled, causing a comical out of tune note by nearly ripping a string, and quickly turned to her.

"Ah… Light…", immediately after recognizing her, Hope's pale face stained by a blush; she couldn't help but chuckle at seeing him so embarrassed and not knowing where to hide the guitar. "I, uh… I didn't know you were here."

"For a while now", Lightning said, sharpening her smile when she noticed Hope's flush became brighter when he deduced she had heard him singing. She pointed at the guitar and asked, "Where did you get it?"

Hope looked down at the instrument, still unwittingly trying to hide it.

"I bought it shortly after my rebirth… I already had one in the old world, Father taught me to play", he shyly murmured, smiling wistfully. "I used to play it to relax when the work in the Academy began to drive me crazy, or whenever I felt lonely… I lost the habit when Chaos flooded the world and I hadn't any time to even relax for a bit, but I started again when I was reborn."

"I didn't know", Lightning said, honestly surprised. "I've never heard you play in the time we've been living together."

Hope looked up at her, still a bit flushed, and gave her one of his warm, radiant smiles.

"Well, I haven't got the need since then. I haven't felt lonely once all this time."

Lightning felt her face flush as well. Whenever this happened she inwardly cursed Hope for being the only one able to make her blush, but she found it so hard to be angry with him for a long time. Not to mention she wasn't even truly angry.

"So you were feeling lonely today?", she replied, however, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't the kind of woman who answered with cheesy lines that kind of comments. But Hope was used to it; in fact, sometimes he had told her it was one of the things he liked most about her.

"Of course not", he laughed. "Actually, I wanted to be alone for a little while. It is such a beautiful night, and since I couldn't sleep, I thought that maybe playing a bit would help me sleep."

"Oh, I see", Lightning tilted her head, hesitantly. "I didn't mean to disturb you. If you want me to leave…"

"Not at all", Hope was quick to answer, raising a hand and gently grabbing her wrist. "Light, your company is always pleasant to me. Unexpected at worst, but never unwanted."

She shyly smiled. Her shy side was another thing only Hope could bring to the surface.

"Can I stay, then?"

"You don't even have to ask", Hope said, smiling back and releasing her wrist. "All the time that pleases you."

Lightning sat beside him, leaned her back against the tree's trunk and rested her head on Hope's shoulder. Her smile grew a little wider when she felt the young man's arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. For a short while, they sat in silence gazing at the starry sky and enjoying each other's company without more watchers than the guitar Hope had left by his side, on the grass.

"How are you feeling?", Hope asked her then, leaving a soft kiss on her temple. "It's not usual you're awake at this hour."

"I'm fine. I don't know why I woke up, really. I guess it was because of you", she replied, faintly blushing when she felt the gentle touch of the young man's lips.

"Because of me? Did I woke you up by playing the guitar?", Hope looked guilty.

"No, I meant you weren't with me", Lightning reassured him. "I've gotten used to you sleeping next to me, and maybe, somehow, I felt that I missing… something."

"I see", he muttered, and gave her a half smile. "I didn't want to wake you up, so I didn't tell you anything. But it seems it's been more harm than good…"

"That's not true. I gained the upper with your idea", Lightning looked at him amusedly. "I'm sitting with you outdoors under the moonlight and I've heard you sing. This doesn't happen every day."

Hope's pale face turned scarlet again, as she knew her words would do, and he let out a short embarrassed laugh.

"I'm surprised you still haven't decided to pack up and leave after hearing me sing. It's far from being one of my talents. Few people would want to go through that."

"Oh, you don't say. Well, something tells me, I'm one of these people", Lightning tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. "In fact, I'd want to hear you sing again. I'd love to."

Hope's blush got even deeper.

"Light… Really, I'm so bad at it… And knowing that you're listening, I'll get out of tune even more."

"I want to hear you sing, Hope. Please."

"You know I perform significantly worse under pressure."

"Right. Then I'll take back the 'please' part."

Hope sighed and ran a hand over his neck. He looked at Lightning with resignation in his light-colored eyes.

"You aren't going to leave me alone until I do, are you?"

"You should know the answer to that by now", she gave him a sly look. Hope smiled, despite himself.

"You know you've been quite whimsical lately? Kind of reminds me of a little girl."

"That'd be Lumina's doing", Lightning shrugged. "Get used to it."

He chuckled.

"I'll have to", he said, pulling her closer to him and kissing her forehead. "Because I have no intention of ever leave your side again."

"Well, c'mon, drop it", she laughed, pulling away from him; this time it was her turn to blush. "Sing whatever you want, but just sing already and don't try to distract me, it won't work."

Hope shook his head, smiled shyly and took the guitar he had left beside him. He played a few notes to make sure the nightly humidity hadn't got the strings out of tune, and looked up at the starry sky thoughtfully.

"Do you have any particular preference?", the young man asked, still with that smile between shy and mischievous on his lips. Lightning wondered what the hell he would be up to, but as long as he sang again, the truth was she didn't really mind.

"I don't know much about music. I'll leave it to you."

He simply sharpened his smile, his blush growing a bit deeper as well.

"Then… Well, since you insist that I sing, I guess you won't mind if I dedicate it to you, right?", he softly said, looking at her as expectant as embarrassed. Lightning felt her heart race as she realized what was on Hope's mind: the young woman had asked him to sing whatever he wanted, but he was talking about a _serenade_. For her. That sounded like another cliché from those romance movies she loathed, but somehow, the thought of being Hope the one who sang it for her… It sounded like a dream to her.

"… No, of course not", she managed to say, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice, and cleared her throat. "Just sing already."

Hope shortly nodded and gave her another smile, much more radiant and warmer than before, but it still had that tinge of shyness, truth be told, Lightning found so adorable.

"In that case, this is for you, Light."

She stared at him expectantly as he played a few chords looking for the right tune, and once he looked pleased, he began to play. The melody his fingers gently plucked from the strings was oddly familiar to her, but it wasn't until Hope started to sing when she recognized the song.

_To the scarlet streak of light_

_To the one that pierces the silence_

_You illuminate the night_

_In most awe-inspiring ways_

Lightning closed her eyes. She remembered that song. She heard it in the old world, in Nova Chrysalia, sung by the minstrels of the city of Luxerion. She knew it was a song written to the Savior of legends, but she never imagined she'd hear it again. Much less it'd be Hope who sang it to her, in that voice so soft and gentle it seemed to cradle her and made her melt inside.

Hope seemed to notice this, because his voice became a bit more confident when he continued with the next part of the song. Somehow, the fact he was who was singing that song made Lightning thought it had been written for that moment to take place. For Hope to sing it to her. Because he couldn't have chosen a better one.

_Sent up from high above_

_A name like a precious poem_

_Let me sing this song to you_

_Gracious savior of my soul_

When she heard the last verse, Lightning opened her eyes, blushing and her heart pounding. She was sure the song didn't go that way, even though she didn't clearly remember. But of that, she had no doubts. Hope had changed that verse for her, turning the impersonal tone of the ode to the Savior into something that truly involved a deeper story about her. And him. About both.

After playing the last note, Hope looked down, as flushed as her. He seemed to shun Lightning's eyes, though a small smile could be seen in his face.

"I told you", the young man murmured. "I sing so horribly."

"No", Lightning shook her head, and not giving him a chance to say another word, she hugged him, getting a faint, surprised gasp from him. "Don't even say it, or I'll make of that guitar a hat for you. You'll better shut up and not ruin this."

Hope took a moment to react, but he soon smiled and happily returned the hug. Lightning knew how much it meant to him what he had done, despite how awkward he was at that kind of stuff; actually, she was aware Hope's biggest problem with her was his shyness, and she wanted him to overcome it. Not to mention, that simple song also meant a lot for her.

It was amazing how little they needed to both feel happy. Probably because they had been literally a millennia without each other, and fate had done everything possible to keep them separated. Anything, no matter how small it was, meant a whole universe for them.

"Hope…", Lightning broke the silence after a while, still hugging him.

"Yes?"

"That last verse…", the young woman paused, and then she slyly looked up at Hope. "Seen this way, I could sing the same song to you and nothing would change at all."

Hope laughed softly, stroking her hair.

"I'm no Savior, Light."

"Yes, you are", she replied. "You're my Savior, my one and only Savior. You saved me, just me. With no sacred powers whatsoever. Without you, I wouldn't be here right now."

"Neither would I. We know that both. But this isn't the first time we've discussed about this, and we've never agreed", Hope noted, amused.

"You're right", Lightning laughed. "It'd be loads easier if we both admitted we are each other's Savior. But you're annoyingly stubborn and you'll never admit it…"

"It won't be an easy job for you to get it. However…", Hope gave her a mischievous smile. "You try it with the second part of your statement, you might convince me."

Lightning looked at him blankly, but his expression made her fear another of his schemes.

"What are you talking about?"

"You said earlier you could sing the same song for me since I'm your Savior", he smiled. "It actually doesn't sound bad at all."

"What?", Lightning pulled away from him like a spring, feeling his cheeks burn. "Ah, no. No way. That's not gonna happen."

"That's not fair, Light", Hope tilted his head, staring at her plaintively. "You got me into singing. You owe me one, and we'll be even."

"Forget it, Hope. I don't sing."

"I don't believe it. I'm sure that, with such a beautiful voice you have, hearing you sing is truly a privilege."

"For damn sure it is, because don't think you'll hear me, neither you nor anyone else."

"You wouldn't even do it for me?", the young man's playful smile grew. "Such little regard you have for me. For one thing I'm asking of you."

Lightning snorted and crossed her arms, looking away from his abandoned-puppy-dog eyes. She knew that if she kept looking at them, she couldn't say 'no' to him.

"Since when is not wanting to sing having little regard for you? It's not that I'm making you sleep in the couch", she protested.

"Well, we're together… You know, that includes make feel happy to each other. And you have no idea how much happy it'd make me feel if you sang anything to me."

"You're a manipulative bastard."

"I know", Hope chuckled and clasped his hand to hers. "I could also get on my knees and beg, but I don't think it's going to work any better."

"And it'd be much more pathetic", Lightning mockingly teased, gently poking him with her finger on his forehead. Hope let out a short laugh, awkwardly, and rubbed the place her finger poked.

"Anyway… I guess fortune isn't on my side today to convince you", he softly laughed. "And I can't tease you for much long, so I'll have to deal with it. Shame to me."

Lightning looked at him, feeling a bit guilty. The truth is that she had made Hope sing, despite his reluctance. But her singing was a very different thing. She was sure that if she tried, Hope would be the one to break up with her in horror.

However, despite his casual tone, Lightning knew how to identify his reactions and expressions almost perfectly. And beyond that smile, she saw the disappointment in Hope's green eyes. And she was aware this time he wasn't doing that to get what he wanted from her.

"Let's have a deal", she said, her eyes looking for his; Hope looked up. "If I give you something in exchange for singing, would I keep you owing you one?"

He stared at her for a few seconds. In his eyes gleamed an amused spark.

"It depends on what that would be."

"Hm… That makes things be difficult for me", Lightning pretended to think about it, and then she smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Would you accept a kiss instead?"

Hope blinked in surprise, but before he could even reply, Lightning suddenly sealed his lips with hers. She didn't usually do the first move unless she really wanted to, so Hope took a while to react. He soon, however, closed his eyes and answered her gently and sweetly, relishing every second of that kiss under the moonlight, in the arms of his beloved Savior.

When they finally pulled away, both blushing and softly gasping for breath, Hope whispered in Lightning's ear:

"We're even, Light."


	6. Void

**A/N:** _This is the first one from three drabbles I wrote about in-game events in _**LR: FFXIII**_. This one is directly based on the Meeting You scene, that is, Hope's farewell. It includes some meta parts about Hope's role in Bhunivelze's defeat and the purpose of this scene and his appearance in Light's heart and reasons for it. Angst galore, as expected._

* * *

**_Fragments of Time_**

* * *

**Void**

**_Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII_**

* * *

_"__As long as you were with me, Light…"_

The sound of his own words accompanied Hope in his last moments of consciousness before falling into the void. He knew his body was no longer his, and his fragmented soul would never return to the world of the living, not even to the dead.

_"… __I didn't have to fear anything."_

The fate that awaited him was the absolute cessation of existence. Something that not even the souls that left their bodies into the Unseen Realm experienced. Those souls were reincarnated, returning alongside humans over time, and despite losing their memories they could again enjoy life.

But Hope was doomed to disappear as if he never existed. His memories were about to be destroyed by his master, the radiant god Bhunivelze, inside whom he knew was the heart that he took away from him 169 years ago. Once God was defeated, his spirit would die with him. And nothing would remain of who once was the young leader of humanity.

_"__I'm not scared. Not even now."_

Despite the link Bhunivelze had created between both, which had led him to act in a different way he'd have done because God could see and hear through him, Hope had devised a plan for years to ensure his downfall. When he learnt Lightning would be chosen as the Savior and Bhunivelze's eternal servant, he had sworn to himself he wouldn't allow it. Even if it that meant his doom.

The plan was underway. Before falling into the void, Hope had managed to release himself from Bhunivelze's control and speak directly to Lightning's heart. He revealed her Vanille's true power, how she could reunite with her dear sister Serah, and that it was too late to save him. The three pillars on which his plan rested. Plus the message he had asked Mog to give Lightning once he was gone should do the trick.

Even if there actually was a minimal hope of salvation for him, Hope was taking no chances. Of Bhunivelze's defeat depended the fate of mankind and Lightning's freedom. If she tried to save him once she found out what happened to the other soul fragment of him, the only remaining part of his identity in the world, and put herself in danger for him… No, Hope wouldn't allow that. He hated lying to Lightning, and he hated not being able to tell her the whole truth.

But as he himself once said, long ago, it wasn't the lie what counted, but what you do after to compensate the harm. And if his plan went as planned, Lightning would be free at last. And he as well. Even at the expense of his own existence. A fate worse than death.

_"__Because you're here."_

But Hope was no longer scared. He had been able to see Lightning one last time. To speak to her as himself. To say her goodbye. If he needed anything to reassure him in his determination to sacrifice for her and her future, it was knowing that, if his plan worked, Lightning would be free, happy and she could reunite with her friends and her sister. He knew he would never see her smile again, but just knowing she _would_ smile was enough for him. He didn't need anything else.

He had only one thing to regret in those last moments of consciousness. Lightning would never know what Hope's heart had felt for her for a thousand years, what had inspired him to become the leader of mankind, what had made him fell into insanity, and what had led him to be taken away his freedom for eternity. It was useless to tell her, Hope told himself, using his scientist pragmatic logic. It would only make her suffer, it would endanger the outcome of his plan if because of those three words he longed to tell her she took the risk to save him while dueling with Bhunivelze. And once she defeated God, his soul would be destroyed at last. When a soul was erased, the memories of the identity to which it belonged would be as well. This was God's plan for the dead, but Hope had his own too, and if everything went according to his calculations, only one soul would undergo that fate: his.

His memory would disappear from humanity's. Hope had tried to convince himself that it was the best for everyone, and that Lightning would be happier if she forgot him and moved on a happy life with her dear sister Serah and everyone else. It was his duty, his last service to mankind that wouldn't even be remembered, as the Director of the Academy and the Guardian of Life as Bhunivelze named him while he stayed imprisoned in the Ark before descending as his avatar.

But now Lightning would completely forget his existence, once it was over, and as much as Hope wanted to convince himself through logic, the heart within him that hadn't been yet assimilated by his master hurt as if a thousand knives stabbed it. The young man who had suffered so much out of love would vanish into the abyss of oblivion without daring to confess his feelings to the woman he had pained for over centuries to prevent her from going through the least possible suffering. Hope had been a l'Cie, the leader of the Academy and humanity, and servant and vessel of God, and he knew that some things in life he just did, even if they were painful or hard.

However, in those last moments of existence, Hope Estheim felt truly human again for the first time in many centuries.

As he fell into the darkest void, enveloped in that golden light that had swallowed him in Lightning's heart, he put his hands to his heart, which shone with an unearthly glow in the engulfing darkness of Chaos as if it tried to bring as much light as it was able in the last remaining moments of his life, and for the first time in 169 years, the young man in the body of a child could at last let out his pain and regret as bright tears flowed from his eyes and soared as raindrops as he hurtled into the abyss of oblivion.

His last thought was, inevitably, to his beloved Light.

_"… __I'm so glad to have met you."_


	7. Back

**A/N:**_After a long absence because of university -as usual, yeah- I finally found time to start working again in my projects. So, for those who follow my other FanFic, _Wings of Light_, don't worry, it's still going but as I said, I need time. In the meantime, here's another short story, based on something that occurred to me playing New Game+ in_** LR: FFXIII**_._

* * *

_**Fragments of Time**_

* * *

**Back**

_**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_

* * *

_"__As long as you were with me, Light… I didn't have to fear anything."_

Lightning couldn't get the words out of her head as she returned to the Ark. She heard them, over and over again, the feeling of loss increasing each time.

_"__I'm not scared. Not even now."_

If only she could say the same. When she materialized in the teleporter, she kept her eyes closed for several long moments, fearing to see what she knew she'd see. Maybe for a few seconds she could convince herself it only had been a bad dream…

_"__Because you're here."_

But Hope wasn't there. The Ark was empty. Without him, the place had lost all color, all feeling of safety Lightning had felt every day when she came back and was welcomed by his warm smile.

Hope was gone.

It was the final day, the last trial. And he wouldn't be with her. His voice wouldn't accompany her anymore, perhaps never again.

She remembered the vision Lumina and Yeul had shown her in her heart, her friends disappearing and leaving her behind. Even Hope… The one she'd have never thought he'd ever leave her side. That was the first time the idea crossed her mind, and it affected her much more than she'd have thought.

Now it was a reality, and Lightning didn't want to accept it.

Even Mog's message made her pull herself together. "No matter what happens next, keep your eyes front." She knew what Hope meant by that message. He'd watch the rear, wherever he was… if he was somewhere at all.

But Hope wasn't with her. He had vanished when she most needed him, and she felt lost without him.

She went to the hourglass-shaped crystal that floated a few feet away. She watched it, her gaze full of sadness, remembering what Hope told her about it.

The Crystal of Atonement. Able to turn back time to the first of days and erase what had happened until that moment… in every way.

This would mean Lightning would forget everything that happened so far. All her efforts vanished, the saved souls doomed once more. It meant going back to square one after a long journey and perhaps taking the risk of failing on her quest.

Lightning couldn't help wondering if that situation would've been repeated in other times, if it was true Bhunivelze had planned from the very beginning to throw Hope away the final day. Maybe they had reached that point countless times, maybe Hope had spoken his confession so many others… maybe she had made the same decision she made now.

Because Lightning was sure of just one thing, and it was that she didn't want to keep going without Hope, as many centuries ago her Eidolon, Odin, made her realize on a fragile bridge in the Vile Peaks.

"No matter what happens next, keep your eyes front", Hope had told her in his message via Mog. He wanted her to keep going. He didn't want her to come back for him.

"I'm sorry", Lightning whispered before the Crystal of Atonement, her eyes slightly veiled with tears. "But I won't abandon you again, Hope."

And with these words, she raised her hand to the crystal, which gave off a strong glow.

Lightning felt her consciousness fade away as everything spun around her. She knew it was a matter of seconds she lost all her memories about her journey, that she would have to save her friends' souls again and risk her life or maybe something could go wrong in her mission this time…

But she knew that, at least, Hope would be by her side.

If that had happened before, it may come a time when she could find a way to avoid his disappearance and close the loop. Now she was aware that, otherwise, she'd keep reaching the same crossroad, again and again… and she'd always make the same choice.

Even if she was about to forget, Lightning had found out that she didn't want a world where Hope didn't exist.

* * *

When Lightning opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was Hope's smile, warm and gentle as she had always remembered.

"Hello, Lightning", the boy greeted her with the voice of the young adult he really was. "Welcome home."

She didn't know why, just after her disastrous raid into the Palace of Yusnaan in search for Snow, she was struck by that impulse the moment she saw Hope. Without thinking it twice, she crossed the distance between them and hugged him tightly, falling to her knees and dragging him too, eliciting from him a soft gasp of surprise.

"… Light? What's wrong?", Hope asked, worried, reluctant to reciprocate her hug. "Are you alright?"

"…", Lightning didn't know what to answer. She was the first one who didn't understand why she had the need to embrace him, to have her arms wrapped around him, as if she didn't want to let him go. "Yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry."

Hope tilted his head to the side, confused, but he eventually returned gently the hug, and he smiled with a bit of mischief in his soft features.

"Well, this isn't like you. Not even three hours have passed since you descended to the surface. Have you missed me that much, Light?"

"Idiot", she grumbled. "You have a problem with that?"

"Not at all, but…", Hope pushed her away a little, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Now seriously, Light. What is it?"

Lightning looked away. How could she explain something what she didn't know why it happened to her?

"I don't know… It's just, all of a sudden… I felt the urge to hold you. I know, it sounds weird as hell, but it's almost as if…", the young woman shook her head and sighed. "As if something bad were to happen to you and I wanted to keep you close."

Hope's expression turned grim and strangely serious for a second, something Lightning didn't miss, and she saw him throw a quick sideway glance to the floating crystal that was a few feet away from them. She felt stupid for that impulsive reaction, but the feeling of loss was still there and she didn't know why.

"I'm sorry, Hope. I didn't want to bother you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm here with you, okay?", he said, sighing and hugging her gently; his voice suddenly sounded tired. "Never doubt about it. I'll always watch over you, Light."

His words soothed Lightning's troubled head, and she rested her head on the boy's shoulder. While they were both kneeling on the floor, they were around the same height, and that was comforting given the situation. Even so, she still had that uneasy feeling that Hope was in danger, and she could lose him at any moment.

As if he had read her thoughts, after a few minutes, Hope murmured:

"Light…"

"Yeah?"

"… I need you to promise me one thing."

Lightning pulled from him a bit, surprised by his words. When she looked at him, she found out that Hope's green eyes seemed weary, resigned, but had a determined gleam.

"What thing?", she asked him.

"Promise me first."

"Alright, I promise", Lightning sighed, without choice. "What is it?"

He gave her a gentle half-smile, if somewhat bitter.

"No matter what happens, don't look back. Keep moving forward. And never doubt I'll always be by your side, one way or another", the boy told her. "Okay?"

Lightning looked at him blankly.

"Why are you telling me that? What does it have to do with all this?"

Hope simply let out a weary chuckle and shook his head.

"You'll understand it at the time. But please, remember this. You have to keep going, no matter what happens. And trust my word", he stood up, and turned away. Lightning saw his shoulders slump. "Looking back doesn't solve anything."

Lightning didn't know what her partner was talking about. She felt like he knew something she wasn't aware yet of… But as he said, maybe it still wasn't the time to know what he meant.

"I've never spent much time looking back", she replied standing up, regaining her composure. "Why should I now?"

He glanced at the crystal again, his eyes slightly sad and his smile bitter and tired.

"You never know. In any case, you promised me, Light", he said, looking at her so intensely she was left speechless for a moment. "Don't ever forget it."

She didn't understand why Hope was insisting so much in that strange promise… But she couldn't help wondering if it had anything to do with that feeling that something would happen to her friend, and maybe he _did_ know about it.

Anyway, she had made him a promise, and this time Lightning wouldn't fail her part.

Unaware of it, that was what broke the endless cycle.

"I won't forget, Hope. No matter what happens."


	8. Choice

**A/N:** _I had this one written for quite some time, but I haven't found the time until now to post it. In any case, if you wanna die of feels, be warned. I did as I wrote it. And I'm not a very emotional person._

_I hope I'll have an update of my other works soon. I can't promise anything because university claims me, but I'll try anyway._

* * *

**Choice**

_**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_

* * *

_"So go… and live."_

Lightning's last words before she vanished into the darkness of Chaos didn't leave Hope's head. He was rooted to the spot, half turned towards where he heard her voice speaking to him minutes ago, breathing hard. _"I can't do it"_, he thought over and over, clenching his fists. _"I've spent a thousand years looking for this woman, and now she's asking me to leave her behind…"_

But the alternative was hard… Hope was torn, his heart broken in two pieces and each pulled toward different ends.

_"No matter what I do, I'll lose someone for who I've fought to bring back…"_

It was an extremely cruel choice, and Hope wished no one ever had to go through it again. It hurt too much. But after all this had been a big part of his life. Nothing but pain and suffering.

He wanted to turn around and go back for Lightning, but it might cost him to get trapped with her for all eternity in the Unseen Realm that soon would be formed. Actually, that was a pretty enticing fate. Hope didn't care about how miserable his life would be if he could share it with Lightning.

But he neither wanted to turn his back to all others… He didn't want to run away like a coward. Perhaps he wasn't the leader of mankind anymore, a title he considered he wasn't worthy of, but leaving behind his loved ones was inconceivable to him.

And that was the problem. No matter his decision, he'd leave behind someone inevitably.

"Hope."

The boy with the soul of an adult turned his head to the voice. He found there, under a gentle light, the figures of his parents, just like minutes ago he had seen them. The spirits of Nora and Bartholomew Estheim watched their son with great understanding, a soft smile on their faces.

"Mother…", Hope murmured, his heart heavy. "Father…"

Nora Estheim smiled sweetly, stroking her son's cheek. Hope shivered at the touch of her ethereal fingers, and fought tears back.

"My child…", his mother said; her voice sounded distant, as if it was something like an echo. "Let me look at you. You've grown so much in all this time…"

Hope couldn't help but crack a bitter half-smile while a halfhearted chuckle escaped from his lips.

"I'm nothing more than a shadow of what I once was, mother. This is what God made of me."

"I know what I'm talking about", Nora smiled. "I know how much you've really grown, Hope. Even if your body isn't your rightful one, your eyes say otherwise. And besides, your father and I have been watching you all this time.

Hope said nothing. He looked at his mother and then at his father, who slightly nodded with a serene smile.

"I'm proud of you, son", Bartholomew said, as solemn as moved. "The Academy and humanity couldn't have been in better hands."

The lump in Hope's throat was becoming unbearable. How could his father say something like that? He knew it wasn't true. His leadership doomed the world to destruction and he couldn't do anything to prevent it.

"Father…", he shook his head, trembling in frustration and guilt. "You shouldn't be proud of me. I failed… I couldn't protect anyone! I let myself be fooled by a god… I willingly submitted to God!"

"No", Bartholomew cut placing a ghostly hand on his son's shoulder. "Never be ashamed of being human, Hope. Never forget that the only reason you submitted was out of love."

Hope was left speechless, staring at the sympathetic face of his father, not quite believing what he heard. At his side, Nora smiled sweetly. _"So… they knew?"_

"That…", Hope looked down, blushing, trying to find the words. "That's no reason for… I just…"

Nora interrupted him cupping her son's cheek in the palm of her hand. Hope closed his eyes, remembering the days when, as a kid, the gesture soothed him at his worst moments.

"You've suffered so much, my child…", his mother murmured; Hope felt a sharp pain in his chest when he noticed the sadness in her voice. "Your heart is filled by sorrow… You loved so much, and got so little in return…"

That was true. So painfully true. It was a thought Hope had repressed for years, but now, at the end of time, he couldn't but accept it at last, with the consequent grief.

"Mother…", Hope didn't want to cry in front of his parents, and for almost two centuries he had been unable to shed a tear and he suddenly felt he'd explode if he kept holding them back. "I…"

"But that doesn't necessarily have to stay like that", Bartholomew intervened. "The new world is about to be born. Even though you haven't found happiness in this world, I know in the next one you'll harvest what you sowed."

Hope swallowed, breathing deeply. He couldn't tell his parents, he didn't feel capable to bear the disappointment on their faces. But he knew what his father said wasn't true. No, if a certain person wasn't in that promised world. Without her, his life had no meaning, and he'd rather spend it with her trapped in eternal darkness than in a world without his light.

If he went back to her, he'd have to give up the chance to get his parents back. And perhaps of reuniting with the rest of humanity as well…

"You have no idea how happy we are to see you again, Hope", Nora said then. "I wish we didn't have to part away… But you have to go now."

Hope had opened his mouth to reply, but his mother's words left him without his. His eyes went from her to his father, and he saw in them the same smile, sad but determined at the same time.

"What…? Mother, what do you mean? …"

"You know it as well as we do", Nora smiled sweetly. "This isn't what you want. We're not what will make you happy in this new world, in your new life. We've always known, and when you hesitated to take my hand and instead turned away to look for her, there was no doubt anymore."

He was genuinely astounded. _"Would they really give this chance up… for my happiness? Are they truly willing to lose me so I can reunite with Light?"_

The truth is that he was also willing to give them up for her… But he never expected to be his parents the ones who would encourage him to make that decision.

"Time is running out", Bartholomew stepped in, his practical and logical mind his son inherited entering the stage. "If you really want to save her, you must go now."

"But…", Hope looked back in anguish, but his body refused to move. "I can't leave you behind! I want to save all the others… I can't run away from my duty again!"

"Hope", Bartholomew's voice took on a serious and somewhat stern tone when he put his ethereal hands on his son's shoulders and made him briefly cringe, just like when he was just a child. "Do you remember what I told you many years ago? This is not running away. This is the choice you've taken."

He said nothing. He was speechless, shocked to remember that conversation. It happened so long ago he had almost forgotten it after centuries of existence… and suddenly, each one of his father's words came back to his memory, tightening the lump in his throat.

"You're not running away, son", Bartholomew said with a faint smile. "You're leaving to do what has to be done. You no longer need us, like you didn't when you left to save Cocoon."

"What has to be done…", Hope shook his head, his eyes watery, and tried to smile. "As a leader, my duty would be to go with the rest of humanity then…"

"No", Bartholomew looked at him sternly, but also with the understanding of a father. "What has to be done is what your heart chooses to do, not what others try to make you do. And yours has already chosen."

Hope finally realized what his father had truly wanted to tell him long ago, when he was a l'Cie. Just like the Focus was irrelevant if he made a decision by himself, his responsibilities as the leader of mankind were meaningless if his heart had chosen to go back for the woman he loved.

"She needs you", Nora said, stroking his hair. "As much as you need her. Even if we part ways, you two shouldn't. Your father and I will always love you, my child… No matter if we don't remember anything once we're reborn. You'll always remember us. I know."

That was too much for his self-control. Hope's tear-filled green eyes finally let them fall, leaving wet trails on his pale, freckled cheeks. Bartholomew and Nora hugged him tightly, or at least, as much as their spirit condition allowed them.

"Father… Mother…", he whispered, feeling as weird as relieved when he could cry after whole decades without feeling emotions. "Please, forgive me…"

"There's nothing to forgive", Bartholomew smiled. "You've made a choice. And that's what we always wanted you to do."

In that moment, a woman's voice came through Hope's mind as a spear, and he tensed up immediately. There was no doubt: it was Lightning's voice, and it was a desperate, anguished cry. A request for help tinged by loneliness, fear and despair.

_"Don't leave me alone! I need you… Help me! …"_

Hope looked up at the spirits of his parents. His green eyes were still watery, but they had acquired a gleam of fierce determination that revealed that despite his teenage looks, the soul inside that boy was the one of a young man who had lived over a thousand years.

"I have to go", he simply said, his voice firm and resolute.

Bartholomew and Nora nodded. A golden light began to surround them.

"We're proud of you, son", Bartholomew said, giving a gentle pat on Hope's shoulder before stepping back from him. "Never forget that."

"Now hurry, Hope", Nora smiled, kissing his forehead before going to her husband's side. "Save her. Fly together. Free yourselves and free us all."

Hope nodded briefly and looked at his parents a last time, murmuring before turning away:

"Thank you… for everything."

And without further hesitation, he ran between the Chaos, turning his back on all that had been his world until then, looking for the only woman who could make his life worth in the next one.

It was what had to be done. It was what his heart told him he had to do.

He needed her. And she needed him.

When he managed to follow the thread of her conscience, so intertwined with his to the point he was able to feel what she felt, Hope plunged himself into the light, only one thought in his mind.

_"I'm coming for you, Light. And we'll be together."_


	9. The New World

**A/N: **_The next batch of stories I'm gonna post in _Fragments of Time_ are part of my works for Hoperai Week 2015. They are related to each other, and they explore Hope and Lightning's life together post-_**LR**_, after their reunion following the epilogue. I also explore Hope's emotional state, mainly PTSD after his terrible experiences courtesy of Bhunivelze, and him falling into a deep depression in the new world. I thought it could be an interesting theme: it's seen in the novel that Hope has become a loner despite knowing where his friends (except Lightning) are, and it's seen how much he self-deprecates. Many stories portrait him as happy and well post-_**LR**_, but even though that's something he indeed deserves after all the crap he's gone through, reality is you can't be exactly okay after being tormented for centuries by a phantom resembling your lost love until your sanity shatters and right after being brutally tortured for 169 years only to become a pawn of a psychotic god._

* * *

**The New World**

_**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_

* * *

"Hope?"

"Hmm?"

"You awake?"

"More or less."

"How are you feeling?"

"Better than before."

This conversation had become usual between Lightning and Hope in recent months. Since Hope's depression worsened, mercilessly plagued by his daily nightmares and memories of his traumatic experiences in the other world, the young man barely left their house, and he spent a lot of time lying down in bed, staring at nothing and a spark of sadness in his eyes.

And Lightning couldn't do anything but watch her partner sinking deeper and deeper into the dark pit that was his cruel past, not knowing how to get him out of there.

"Hope…"

"Yes?"

"Are you happy with your new life?"

"… Why do you ask?"

"Just answer me, please."

"Well… I guess I can't complain."

It wasn't an entirely honest answer, and Lightning knew it. But she also knew Hope did everything on his hand to not drag her into his own traumas. She knew he felt guilty about his situation, for not being able to provide her the normal life of a couple in love. Hope thought he was disappointing her now that they were finally together after more than a thousand years, and that did nothing but depress him even more.

But Lightning wasn't going to give up. She and Hope defeated the gods together, and together they would defeat their shadows as well.

"Hope, look at me."

"… Light?"

"I know you're not going through your best times… and I know how much you're suffering."

"…"

"But it won't last forever. It's just another trial, and I know you've got the strength to overcome it, as you did in so many times."

"… I'm tired of trials, Light. I just want to live in peace… and give you the life you deserve."

Lightning never took her eyes away from Hope's, tinged with sadness. She cradled his pale, freckled face in her hands, and despite his adult looks, she could see in those green eyes the helpless fourteen-year-old kid he once was, deprived of his innocence and mistreated by fate. She had promised to protect him, and she couldn't bear seeing the other half of her heart broken inside, maybe forever, because of the ambitions of an ignorant god.

She had already failed him once. Lightning would never abandon him again.

"I already have the life I want, Hope. Here with you, by your side."

"… But you don't deserve to be burdened with my problems. It's not fair, not after all you've gone through."

"We're partners. We stick together in both good and bad times. No matter what happens."

"Light…"

"We'll make it. You and me. I promise you, Hope. Don't you trust me?"

"… I'd trust you with my life without hesitation. You know that."

Lying there, her arms wrapped around Hope between the sheets, Lightning wanted to never leave him. Hope had been once the leader of mankind, the chosen avatar of Radiant God Bhunivelze, the greatest among his kind… and yet, the young man curled up against her in that moment, lost in that white shirt that was very loose for him, he looked so fragile that Lightning swore to herself she wouldn't rest until he could have the peaceful, happy life he wanted.

The time to feel discontent with life ended with the other world. In the new one, both deserved a new beginning. One with a happy ending.

"If we're together, we have nothing to be afraid of, Hope."

"… If you're with me, Light, I never have anything to be afraid of."

"We'll be together, won't we?"

"As long as you want me by your side, we'll be."

"Then, forever together, Hope…"

"… Forever, Light."


	10. The Bonding Ceremony

**A/N: **_This was Hoperai Week 2015's second story. As I said in the previous chapter, all my works for that week are based on the same topic: Hope and Lightning's convivence in the new world and dealing with Hope's PTSD after _**LR**_'s events._

_In this case, it was a late birthday present for fellow writer Cissmoll, inspired in a certain piece she wrote; not a Hoperai one, though. This one isn't only a Hoperai piece, it also features Fanille. But that's pretty much a given coming from the _**FFXIII**_ trilogy, isn't it?_

_I'm gonna add, as a last note, this is one of my favorite short pieces I've ever written._

* * *

**The Bonding Ceremony**

_**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_

* * *

"Hope, are you listening to me? Hope! New world calling Hope!"

"Huh? …", Hope blinked as Serah snapped her fingers an inch away from his eyes, and heard Vanille laughing behind her.

"I've asked you three times now if you can give me the metal bristle brush", the younger Farron sister said, arching her eyebrows. "Where's your head at?"

"Oh… I'm sorry", the young man went to the sideboard where all types of combs and hair accessories were scattered, and picked up the brush Serah had asked for. "I got distracted for a second…"

Serah sighed, taking the brush Hope handed her, and began trying to straighten Vanille's red hair, so tangled without the pigtails she usually sported. She knew she couldn't ask more from Hope, as he was just starting to overcome his depression, and he still felt a bit out of place among his old friends, specially if Lightning wasn't at his side, like in that moment. But this was a quite special occasion, and of course Hope had made an effort to not miss it.

It was Fang and Vanille's wedding. Or rather, the Pulsian equivalent. They called it "bonding ceremony". So, even though there were many similarities with the weddings their friends from Cocoon knew and still were celebrated in the new world, there were also many differences they had to explain to them.

It would be an almost completely intimate ceremony: only ten people would attend it, not counting the two Pulsian women. Which was different enough from Serah and Snow's wedding, which took place two months ago and although it hadn't gathered nearly as many guests as it was usual in weddings –around fifty guests, because of Serah's fellow university classmates and Snow's biker acquaintances– Hope hadn't had exactly a good time during the wedding feast being surrounded by so many people after months almost locked at home. Lightning had to be constantly with him, holding onto his arm all the time to calm him down.

"Hey, you're my sun witness!", Vanille teased, grinning; she had been stoically enduring all morning in the mirror while Serah prepared her for the ceremony with an exhaustive session of makeup and hairstyle. "You can't distract yourself like that! You have to live up to expectations! You did quite well in Serah and Snow's wedding, I'll take it very badly if you don't in my bonding ceremony."

Hope faintly smiled, feeling awkward. He wasn't that sure he did a good job like Vanille said: he had been Snow's best man at his request –and insistence–, and since Lightning was Serah's maid of honor, he couldn't refuse. He didn't know to what extent best men used to stay as still and silent as he had been. But in any case, Vanille was Vanille, and she never had any bad words for anyone.

He pinched the turtleneck of the white and orange robe in gold brocade he wore; despite the fabric was quite loose, he was too used to open collars, but he had no choice. His attire contrasted strongly with Serah's dress, black and blue embroidered with silver: they were what Fang and Vanille called "witnesses of the sun and moon", which was kind of the equivalent of groomsmen and bridesmaids, except that both partners had both a witness of the sun and the moon, a male and a female. Vanille had chosen Hope as her sun witness and Serah and her moon witness; Fang had done so with Snow and Lightning respectively.

"Well, we're almost done", Serah said, sighing and stepping away from the chair where Vanille sat to let the young Pulsian look at her straightened hair in the mirror. "Now only remains to do your hairstyle, Vanille. You said it had to be braided, right?"

"Yup, but only on both sides of the face and in the back, okay?"

"Hope, give me the golden thread, please."

He obeyed, giving Serah the golden thread roll. With it, the younger Farron sister started to braid Vanille's hair, who was smiling expectantly looking at herself in the mirror.

Hope absently watched how Serah prepared Vanille for her big day, the day in which she'd unite with her other half at last. He had seen the same happiness in Vanille's face than in Serah's the day of her wedding. He wondered if he'd have seen the same smile on Lightning's beautiful face on a day like this if things had been different…

In that moment, someone knocked on the door, startling all three of them. A second later, Lightning poked her head behind it. She barely wore makeup; Hope knew she didn't like it, but that day she had agreed to apply a bit of eye shadow.

"Sis!", Serah smiled.

"Hey", her sister greeted, entering the room, smiling back to her. "How are you doing, Vanille?"

"I'm great!", she said, beaming. "But don't tell Fang how do I look, huh? It's bad luck!"

Lightning smiled. Then she turned to Hope, her smile softened as her gaze did. He knew what she meant by that look. It was a silent question: _'are you okay?'_

Hope stared at her, the absent spark that from a few months ago hadn't abandoned his eyes taking an ecstatic tone. Lightning wore the same kind of outfit Serah did: a cross between a robe and a dress with turtleneck, black and blue embroidered in silver. But while Serah radiated a serene and warm beauty, her older sister gave off an almost divine aura that would leave anyone breathless. Or at least that's what Hope thought. Not because of what happened with Bhunivelze, but since a long, long time ago.

Because of the silence of the young man, Lightning went to him and softly put a hand over his, looking at him questioningly with her blue eyes wide. Snapping out of his reverie, Hope blinked and gave her a small smile as he bent his head to her.

"I'm fine", he whispered.

"You sure?", she looked unconvinced. "You seem a bit off."

"Please don't worry about me, Light. I'll be okay."

Lightning took a while to answer, hesitant, but she finally nodded, squeezing Hope's hand in hers and sweetly smiling.

"You look beautiful", he muttered, blushing a bit as he stared at her. Lightning blushed as well, but she accepted the compliment; not too long ago, she'd have protested.

"You too. I think robes suit you better than ties."

"Hey, if you prefer, Vanille and I could go find another room and give you some", Serah joked then; her sister and Hope turned to her, startled, and Vanille cheerfully laughed. "Let me say, that might do Hope well."

"Please, Serah", Lightning rolled her eyes, and Hope's blush intensified. "I only came to see how were you doing. And get away for a while from Snow, of course. He's not kept his mouth shut since he entered the room. Besides seeing if Hope was alright."

"Oh, don't you worry about him", Vanille couldn't turn around while Serah was braiding her hair, but she winked at the mirror for Lightning and Hope to see the gesture. "Serah and I are taking care of him greatly!"

Hope docilely smiled, and Lightning gently squeezed his hand again before letting it go and coming to her sister:

"I've also come because I need your help. I can't do Fang's hairstyle, and your husband does nothing but getting me on my nerves."

"Sis, it's just doing braids. It's not that hard."

"Well then, I don't know how to do it. Everyone has limits."

Serah sighed and looked at the clock on the wall, which was marking eleven o'clock; according to Pulsian tradition, the ceremony had to take place at noon or at midnight sharp.

"We're pretty short of time but I'd better help you; fortunately I'm almost done with Vanille", the younger Farron sister said, and turned to Hope. "Can you do the rest?"

"Me?", Hope was surprised by the request, but he shrugged. "Of course. I'll do what I can."

"Perfect! Then let's go, sis, and get Fang ready", Serah and Lightning headed for the door. "See you in a while, Hope. And try not spoiling the hairstyle, the sun soul is in your hands."

Lightning said nothing, but she smiled and winked to the young man. He understood it as well: _'you're doing well'_ and _'I'm proud of you'_. He knew how happy Lightning was to see him joining back his old friends and getting involved in their activities.

Once the Farron sisters were gone, Hope stared absently at the door. Lightning's happiness was his priority, and on days like those he deeply regretted not being able to offer her what any other couple in love would do…

"Well then", Vanille said brightly from her seat, "we have to hurry or we won't be ready before noon, and then we'll have to wait until midnight! Come on, Hope!"

"Ah, yes. Sorry, I'm on it now", he replied, and started to continue the work Serah left unfinished, braiding her hair. "If you consider I'm doing it wrong, please tell me."

"You know how to do it?", Vanille seemed amused.

"I think I can manage it. More than once I've helped Light with her hair; she'd cut it with scissors every time a lock is entangled. And it's not that hard, making braids."

"Only for Lightning", Vanille joked, and Hope smiled despite himself.

"It can't even be considered a flaw."

For a few minutes they were silent, except for whenever Vanille gave Hope any indication of how the hairstyle should go. Then the redhead Pulsian suddenly said, her voice clearly moved:

"You know, it's hard to believe Fang and I are going to bind ourselves at last, after such a long time…"

"The important thing is that the moment arrives", Hope replied, "no matter how long you have to wait. At least, that's what I think. Serah and Snow endured a thousand years of separation until they could marry. And you and Fang have always been together, but you've waited nearly six centuries more than them. And yet, here you are, she and you both. That's what matters in the end, right?"

"That's true", Vanille admitted closing her eyes with a happy smile, and then she suddenly opened them with a mischievous expression. "And what about you, Hope? Lightning and you, I mean. When will we see a ring on Lightning's finger? Or that's what I think the people of Cocoon did when they wanted to get engaged."

"Huh? …", Hope took a few seconds to process the sudden question, and when he did, he blushed and narrowed his eyes as he braided her hair. "Yeah… uh, well… That's… complicated…"

"Hey, don't be sad!", Vanille couldn't turn around, but in the mirror her concern was reflected upon seeing Hope's face. "I didn't want to upset you, really. I know you're not at your best right now, but you'll see things will turn better, and it doesn't have to stop you and Lightning from–!"

"I won't marry her", Hope cut her sharply. "Leave it already, Vanille."

Vanille was left speechless. She'd never have imagined such words would ever come out from Hope's mouth, but what surprised her the most was what she saw in the young man's face… Such rage, such frustration. She didn't remember seeing it ever since he was a kid consumed by the thirst of revenge.

"But…", she hesitantly began, "why? Why don't you want to marry her?"

"It's not that I don't _want_ to", Hope replied, without looking away from the braid he was working on, "I _can't_ do it."

His voice was filled by suppressed sadness. Vanille didn't understand: she had seen many times Hope's face lit up every time he looked at Lightning, and since their days as l'Cie everyone –except most likely Lightning herself– noticed the at-the-time youngest of the group was carrying a torch for the former soldier. She couldn't conceive that after everything that happened Hope didn't want to take the plunge.

"Hope, what's the problem?", she softly asked. "You can tell me if you want. Maybe I can help you."

The young man didn't seem eager to answer, but he finally gave up.

"It's a long story, Vanille, and I'd rather not talk about it. But… I don't want her to be _mine_. Ever. Light must be free, in every way. I won't let her to be anyone's possession… let alone mine."

It was a strange reasoning, but Vanille could start to see the problem. She couldn't know what happened after Bhunivelze's descent incarnated in Hope's body in the Cathedral of Luxerion, of course; that was something only Lightning and Hope knew, and they had agreed to not share it with anyone else. But knowing Bhunivelze had used Hope as his vessel, Vanille could get the general idea.

"And Lightning… Does she know you feel this way?"

"Yes. She says she doesn't mind, and I know that she's being honest, to some extent… but I also know she's aware I'd have asked her, and it hurts her that I can't", Hope angrily shook his head. "Bhunivelze has even taken that from me."

Vanille felt about to cry. It wasn't fair: Lightning and Hope deserved to be happy, and the gods didn't leave them alone even after their fall. Fang and she knew too well what that meant. And it was true that the weddings on Cocoon, which still were celebrated in the new world, were based on both partners becoming mutual possession, one was the other's and vice-versa, as she had seen in Serah and Snow's. It was a beautiful and moving ceremony, but Vanille thought it was a bit shallow, at least when compared to the bonding rites.

"You don't have to think about it as if Lightning were yours… Not in that way", the young Pulsian tried to convince him. "You love her and she loves you. You're each other's, aren't you? It doesn't mean she's yours and you're controlling her and all that stuff…"

Hope let out a long sigh.

"You don't understand, Vanille. And it's not necessary you do. But I won't make the same mistake twice. Even if it costs me my own happiness."

She frowned, but she decided to not keep asking. She let Hope continue braiding her hair; the truth was he was pretty good at it. She wondered how many times he'd have to help Lightning with her hair to get the practice. Vanille always thought Lightning and Hope were bound by something much stronger than simple attraction, she had felt it even when they first met: it was as if they were born to be together, and they wouldn't be complete unless they were with the other one. She understood it well because it was how she felt about Fang. Two sides of the same being, partners of heart and soul, a bond beyond time and space.

Bond…?

That's when Vanille had an idea. Her face showed a wide smile as she realized she had the solution before her all the time.

"What if you could unite with Lightning without making her yours?"

Hope stopped braiding, surprised.

"What?"

"It'd be easy", she replied. "Not only weddings exist to consolidate the love between a couple. There exist other rites… and I happen to know one that might be of your use. Actually, you're taking part on it."

He looked at her questioningly.

"You mean… the bonding ceremony? But I thought it was a Pulsian rite…"

"Who cares about that?", Vanille rolled her eyes. "If Fang and I had wanted, we could've gotten married by the Cocoonian rites, no one would've minded here in this world. After all, almost no one remembers Cocoon and Gran Pulse. We're pretty lucky here because we remember everything and we can choose whatever we do with our lives. No wedding ring is necessary to be happy with your loved one, no matter where you came from in the old world."

Hope said nothing. He was thoughtful, his eyes on the mirror. Vanille felt he wasn't sure, but she saw his face more lively than before.

"But…", he said, a bit cautiously. "I know the bonding is different from a wedding, but Fang said it was more or less the equivalent. She didn't elaborate on it, so I don't know exactly what the differences are except for the witnesses' thing…"

"Well, we prefer to keep it a secret for the time", Vanille giggled and started rummaging through the folds of her dress, which was the same color of Hope's robes, "but I can give you a clue so you can think about it. Here, check this out."

He obeyed and took the object Vanille handed to him, who had brought it from a leather sheath strapped to her waist. Surprised, he realized it was a small ceremonial knife, gold-colored and encrusted with scarlet gems.

"A knife?", Hope studied it closely, and noticed a sun-shaped engraving on both sides of the blade. "Do you have to carry it as part of the rites?"

"Yup! Both me and Fang; hers is different because she's the moon soul, and I'm the sun soul", she said pointing to the carved sun. "The knife is the centerpiece of the ceremony. It's what allows the couple to be bound, so both knives are after stored as a great family treasure. According to our rites, they embody the union's oaths."

Hope narrowed his eyes. That story sounded too familiar, and he was sure Vanille was aware too. After all, it had been a knife what had united the fates of him and Lightning for a thousand years and finally saved their souls by the promise made over it, first transferring Lightning's feelings to the dormant soul of the young man trapped inside Bhunivelze, and then saving her from an eternity of loneliness through whom absorbed it minutes ago: Hope.

If what Vanille said was true, would have they replicated the Pulsian bonding rites without knowing it a thousand years ago?

"Are you saying Light and I are already bound?"

"Well, not exactly", Vanille replied holding out a hand for him to give her the knife back, "but you two got quite close. The only thing that lasts if you wanted to, let's say, make it official, would be a small detail. And you wouldn't need any ceremony or anything like that, in fact there were people who did it at home in strict privacy and it was enough that they both knew they sported the brand on their wrists."

"Their 'brands'?", Hope tilted his head. "What brands do you mean?"

Vanille smiled enigmatically.

"The bonding is a test of trust and courage. It's meant to prove that love has to go through good and bad times and despite that you're willing to become one with your partner. For two to become one, each one has to be part of a whole, and they have to be different; same poles repel, while opposites attract, though the crash when they unite can be violent and painful. But they still bind, see? So when we bond, we assume the roles of the sun and moon, light and darkness. Opposites that need each other, but also confront each other."

Yes, the young man understood perfectly what Vanille meant. In fact, the bonding ceremony's philosophy was very close in another way to something that happened more than a year before, just before the twilight of the old world. Two humans called to take the place of the gods in the new universe were chosen to take those roles: Hope would be the vessel of the God of Light and Creation, while Lightning had been groomed to become the Goddess of Chaos and Death. Sun and moon, day and night. Hope vaguely remembered through the memories he had shared with Bhunivelze how Cosmogenesis was like, the dimension in which God had prepared his union ceremony with the new goddess, and it was crystal clear he'd also been aware of the symbology.

It wasn't very nice to resort to something that had to do with Bhunivelze, but if Vanille was right, the truth was he and Lightning were halfway bound. If they weren't already. And to be honest, thinking of Lightning as his other half was loads more in tune with what he felt for her than the concept of possessing her, even if mutual, that weddings held. It had been too close to Bhunivelze making her his through influence of his deranged emotions, previously driven to insanity because of a phantom of his beloved, created to turn him into her possession… to later become God's.

"And that detail that according to you it's the only thing left…", Hope muttered, intrigued. "What's it?"

Vanille simply sharpened her smile, and she answered:

"You'll see for yourself in a while, as long as you finish the braids on time! But you don't need to sport any ring to let people see you're bound to each other. It's a bond that has enough value if you both know it exists and feel it does, no matter how great the distance is between you, or how much time has passed."

He was about to reply, but in that moment the door opened and Serah came in, her face showing genuine nervousness.

"It's half past eleven and I have to do the work of all four witnesses!", she snorted; then she saw Vanille, and her face softened as she smiled in disbelief. "Oh wow, Hope!, you almost finished the job yourself. Whew! I thought I'd have to fix Vanille's braids with only half an hour of time."

"Not at all!", the young Pulsian cheerfully smiled. "He's done a great work. Much better than the Oerban men usually did!"

Serah laughed at seeing Hope's awkward face, and he slightly shrugged in modesty.

"You could teach my sister! You should've seen the mess she managed to do with Fang's hairstyle", while giving the last touches to Vanille's hair, the younger Farron sister shook her head. "Would you believe she hooked all the silver thread in Fang's hairpins? It looked like a fishing net."

Vanille laughed, and Hope made a sweet half-smile, undoubtedly imagining Serah and Fang's exasperated faces to the vain efforts of the former soldier.

Finally, ten minutes later, Serah finished putting all the decorations in Vanille's attire, and she stepped back from the chair for the young Pulsian to look better at herself in the mirror.

"That's it!", she said. "What do you think? Did we get it right?"

"It's great!", Vanille was radiant; she spun around to admire how her white and orange robe moved around her and the tinkling of the golden beads on her braids, and she turned to Serah and Hope, thrilled. "Thanks a lot, Serah! And thank you too, Hope! I never thought the day in which I could see myself dressed as the sun soul would come!"

"Now it only remains you see Fang dressed as the moon soul", Hope said, Vanille's joy rubbing off on both him and Serah. "I'm sure the wait will be worth it."

She smiled in complicity, discreetly running a finger over the sheath where she kept her ceremonial knife, and winked to him.

"Sure it will. Never say 'never'!"

Then the room's door opened again, and Lightning poked her head once more, looking stressed but sporting a smile on her beautiful face:

"We're ready. Are you done, too?"

"Yes!", Serah said, relieved. "Thank goodness. It's ten to twelve already! I didn't think we'd make it on time. Come on, sis, Snow and you have to go downstairs with Fang now! We're going too."

Lightning nodded, and before leaving she gave a sweet look to Hope, with an excited smiled that said: _'we'll soon be together'_. He realized Vanille was right. They were already bound in a way nobody else could ever hope to surpass. Their hearts understood each other without words. No ring was needed to prove their union. They were already one since the world had been reborn.

Serah deeply breathed, her cheeks pink in excitement, and turned to Vanille, who seemed about to start jumping in joy.

"Are you ready, Vanille?", she asked, as expectant as her.

She briskly nodded, more radiant than they'd ever seen her. She was like a small sun in the room; no one else could aspire to do better honor to the status as the sun soul of the bonding ceremony than her.

"More than ever!"

Serah and Hope, smiling as well, stood behind her: Hope on the right, Serah on the left, as the protocol said the witnesses of sun and moon should do. As they left the room heading to the place where the ceremony would take place, Hope couldn't help but wonder what would be the last detail of the bonding, that test that according to Vanille marked on the couple's skin the testimony of their condition of one being split in two bodies. Maybe that way, there was a possibility that he and Lightning could consolidate their bond without bringing up old wounds and past fears.

He'd soon find out.


	11. The Thwarted Surprise

**A/N: **_Another work for Hoperai Week 2015. A rather short one, but I thought it was kinda sweet anyway. I'm a sucker for "trying-to-do-stuff-for-your-beloved-failing-miserably-but-it-doesn't-matter-he/she-loves-you-anyway" stories._

* * *

**The Thwarted Surprise**

_**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_

* * *

A sudden crash downstairs woke Hope abruptly from his placid half-asleep state. He sat up in bed, somewhat dazed, and then he heard a gasp of pain.

"Light!", not wasting any second, the young man jumped out of bed and ran to the lower floor, almost tripping over his pants' edges while he hastily ran down the stairs. Once he got downstairs, he looked around in worry; then he heard muttered swearing coming from the kitchen. He basically lunged at the kitchen door, which was closed, and opened it rather sharply, fearing something bad had happened. What he saw was Lightning, her back to him, kneeling on the floor and clutching her left hand, a bloodstained knife lying on the floor next to her.

"Light!", Hope ran to her and knelt by her side, panicking; Lightning looked up at him, holding back a wince. "What happened?"

"Nothing", she replied through gritted teeth. "Don't worry. It's nothing."

Hope, who knew her well, took the hand Lightning was clutching; she resisted a bit, but eventually let the young man examine it: a long, deep gash ran across the palm of her left hand, bleeding heavily and leaving scarlet trails on her arm.

"'Nothing', you say? For heavens' sake, Light, you almost cut half of your hand away."

She shot him an ironic look.

"You and me both have dealt with more serious wounds. This is but a scratch in comparison."

"That's no reason to say this is 'nothing'", Hope shook his head and covered Lightning's wounded hand with his; they began to give off a soft blue-ish glow. "Honestly, Light, I'm not ready yet to deal with this kind of scares again."

Lightning frowned, but her tense expression gradually relaxed as Hope's Cure spell healed the wound and eased the pain.

"I'm sorry I scared you", she said, lowering her head. "I'd have healed it myself, but I admit your healing magic is loads better than mine…"

He sighed, but said nothing. He kept silent as he healed Lightning's hand.

After a few minutes, Hope finally let her hand go gently and examined it; all traces of the wound had disappeared, except for the blood trickles running over her arm.

"That's it", he told her, gently squeezing her hand. "Does it hurt?"

"No", she replied, opening and closing it to be sure. "It feels as if I've never had a cut here. Thanks, Hope."

Hope softly smiled, something he had been having a hard time doing in recent months, so every time it happened it meant a lot for her. Then, the young man bent down to pick up the kitchen knife which seemed responsible for almost having left Lightning without her left hand.

"What were you doing with the knife?", he asked, worried; Lightning looked away. "Light, is anything wrong–?"

"No!", she quickly replied, realizing Hope got the wrong idea. "No, really. It's nothing like that. I just… I was trying to give you a surprise", she confessed, blushing.

"A surprise?", Hope tilted his head, puzzled. "Cutting yourself a hand with the knife?"

"No, idiot, of course not. It's just…", all of a sudden, Lightning, her face flushed, looked more timid than ever. "You always say you'd love to try my dishes, and the only thing I can cook is behemoth steak… so I was trying to make something more… sophisticated for you."

Hope blinked in bewilderment; since Lightning wasn't exactly good at cooking, he had always been the one in charge of the kitchen. When his depression worsened, she had tried to take over with disastrous results, so Hope made the effort to keep cooking. The fact that after those culinary failures the young woman had still tried to cook something for him… He didn't know what to say. Lightning didn't usually spend much time with things she considered extreme lost causes.

"You wanted to make something special for me?", Hope looked up and discovered on the counter what looked like some kind of poultry, its flesh full of rough cuts and gashes, undoubtedly the result of Lightning's efforts for cleaning and boning it, and he softly chuckled. "Wow, Light, what have you done to that poor animal? It seems as if instead of using a knife you clawed it to death."

Lightning laughed half-heartedly, her shoulders hunched, clearly dejected.

"I know I shouldn't have even tried", she said, her voice tinged with a bit of sadness. "I'm such a failure in all this cooking stuff, even for one thing I want to do to please you…"

"Light", he cut her, cupping her face in his hands and looked directly into her eyes, "I don't mind you can't cook at all. The fact that you tried it for me is what really matters to me."

She gave him a saddened look, though at the same time was filled by love and sweetness. It was extremely rare to see something like that in Lightning Farron's eyes, and Hope felt like the happiest human in the new world every time he saw it, well aware he was probably the only male who ever had the privilege of being of the receiving end of that gaze.

"But I wanted to do it, Hope. I feel so bad for being unable to do anything to cheer you up, and having to see you so sad every day is just…", Lightning closed her eyes. "I want to make you happy, and I don't know how. I thought that, if I managed to pull this off–"

Hope interrupted her then by gently placing his lips on hers, pressing slightly, but that was enough for Lightning to let out a faint gasp of surprise as she felt her heart melting; he hadn't taken point for a long time, more exactly since his depression hit its deepest point. And even though it wasn't a passionate kiss, the young woman didn't mind it the slightest. Her relationship… her love for Hope was beyond trifles like that.

When they pulled away, a few seconds later, Hope hugged her, and Lightning buried her face on his shoulder. She thought it should be her who comforted him, but the truth was she had spent several months feeling so bad to see him so depressed and had forced herself to swallow it up and be strong for him. And besides, it wasn't that bad it was Hope this time who comforted her…

"You being here with me is what would make me the happiest man alive", the young man whispered in her ear, stroking her hair. "What I'm going through has nothing to do with you. You're the only thing that has kept me sane during these months, and I could never thank you enough."

Lightning smiled, hugging him back. She knew Hope was sincere, but she still thought she could do more for him. She fiercely fought against the young man's depression, but it was a silent war, a war of the mind. Perhaps for that reason, she thought, she wasn't very good at it. She knew how to fight hand-to-hand… but she had to admit, she had much yet to learn in the field of emotions.

Luckily for her, Hope was the best teacher she could've ever found.

"Don't thank me. I just want you to have the peaceful life you want, free from nasty ghosts of the past", she muttered. "And if I have to figure things out to cook for it… I'd do it without hesitation."

Hope's chest slightly rumbled when the young man gently chuckled.

"As long as you don't give me more scares… I'd rather not go into the kitchen and see you without a hand for dealing with a dead chicken."


	12. The Incoming Reunion

**A/N:** _Another piece I wrote for Hoperai Week 2015. Short one, but I still like it. It's kinda sweet. Not my favorite and it could've been better, but anyway. Hope you like it._

* * *

**The Incoming Reunion**

_**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_

* * *

When the wooden house appeared at last on the horizon, surrounded by trees, Hope shifted uneasily in his bus seat. Lightning rested a hand on his arm, trying to calm him down:

"Easy", she told him quietly, though they were the only ones left on the bus. "Everything will be alright, you'll see."

"Don't worry about me", Hope muttered, looking at the house with obvious apprehension. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not", she replied rolling her eyes; Hope lied terribly and pretended even worse. "Look at you, you're almost shaking."

Hope shook his head, but he had to admit Lightning got him. It was impossible to hide the faint paleness –paler than usual for him– of his face, his white knuckles of his hands closed in fists and his continuous and unconscious movements that he did since he was a kid whenever he felt uncomfortable or uneasy, or both.

"Alright, yes, I'm nervous", he grudgingly admitted, wincing briefly when the bus stopped in front of the house. "I'm not ready yet for this, Light. How could we let them get us into this?"

"Hope, please, it's not that bad. You've already been in two meetings and nothing's happened and you haven't hurt anyone. They're our friends, remember?"

He sighed almost inaudibly. Lightning was right, but it was still so hard for him to do those things. It was true he'd been at Snow and Serah's wedding and Fang and Vanille's bonding ceremony, but this was different.

It had been Serah and Snow's idea, as usual. Despite all the gang having met both times previously mentioned, they insisted on spending a few days together in a proper way, now that everyone lived their lives on their own and they didn't see each other as often. They chose a discreet but cozy hostel in the Pyrien mountains, south of Galya and north of Hisperia, and invited all their friends to go there; the idea was to relax and have fun together, remembering old times in the other world.

They'd done so with the best of intentions and Hope knew it, but he couldn't help but thinking it wasn't a good idea for him. He was still fighting his depression and wasn't up for much, and that was without counting he felt out of place among his friends since he was reborn; Lightning insisted he wasn't to blame for Bhunivelze using him against them, but Hope couldn't take from his mind the idea that, at any time, God might try to hurt them again through him.

Lightning, though it couldn't be said she was the paradigm of sociability, believed it'd do Hope well to spend those days with the gang, and for that reason she managed to convince him to go. That, and Serah hadn't left her alone until her older sister finally gave up.

Hope had made an effort to accept, the worst moment until then being when they boarded the bus; he didn't feel comfortable at all among crowds since his rebirth in the new world, partly because he got used in the other one that people would immediately recognize him if he went out. But Lightning already knew all that and she also knew that usually the young man calmed down if she was by his side.

However, his friends were a much more personal topic. And that's why Hope took it loads more seriously. He feared that at any time they called him out on his actions as Bhunivelze's vessel, or on his failure as a leader, or… anything, really. He'd been keeping his distance from them for months. Something about he was afraid he'd get called out on too.

In short, Hope was a nervous wreck plagued by insecurities each time he met with his old friends. Lightning counted on it, but she also hoped the young man could gradually overcome it with the whole gang's help.

But she didn't want Hope to have a bad time for the simple fact of spending time with them to the point he wouldn't want to get off the bus, which seemed to be the case. They were supposed to go to a place where they could relax, not for his anxiety to skyrocket.

"Hope", the young woman told him, holding his hand; he looked at her, a spark of hesitation in his eyes, "you have nothing to fear. They're our friends, and they love you. They only want to have a great time all together."

"Light, I–", Hope began, but she interrupted him by gently placing a finger to his lips:

"No excuses. You're gonna get off the bus, meet up with everyone and going to enjoy these days in peace", Lightning warmly smiled. "And I'll be with you all the time. You know that."

He said nothing for a few seconds, looking uncertain, but he finally nodded with a sigh. He took Lightning's hand whose finger was sealing his lips on his and placed a soft kiss on it; the gesture caught the young woman a bit by surprise, and she slightly blushed.

"Fine", Hope murmured, his lips resting against her fingers. "But please, stay close to me. I feel calmer when you're with me."

"I know", Lightning gave him a soft smile. "Don't you worry. We'll be together, don't you remember? It was you who promised me."

Hope smiled back, a bit flustered.

"And you don't have any idea of how glad I am you haven't forgotten."

Lightning's smile widened. That promise, that Hope had made to her when he rescued her from the very own Chaos of her heart, was a line that both reminded each other quite often, so it was a bit silly that Lightning asked Hope if he remembered and he answered he was glad that she hadn't forgotten. However, after a thousand years of separation and everything that happened in the twilight of the other world, it was inevitable that somehow they needed to reaffirm that promise to each other. Thus, their troubled hearts could be at ease.

"Let's go", Lightning told Hope, getting up from her seat and tugging at his sleeve for him to do the same; he was a little reluctant, but he eventually budged. "They're all waiting for us. And I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

Hope wasn't as sure as her, but he chose to keep his doubts to himself. After all, Lightning already knew them, and it was no use having doubts if he never faced them. That way, his stricken soul would never find peace.

Yet most of those doubts faded once they both got off the bus and having just taken a few steps to the hostel, all their old friends came out from it to warmly greet them: the recently bound Vanille –who apparently was the one that told the others of Lightning and Hope's arrival– and Fang; Sazh and his son Dajh and Chocolina, who took her human form after rebirth; Noel and Yeul, the ones who lived the farthest; and of course, Serah and Snow, who were the reason they all were there.

None of them had anything to blame Hope for nor did they keep any distance from him. No trace of mistrust among them.

And even though the young man was well aware his fears wouldn't disappear overnight, he thought for the first time that, after all, perhaps he could spend a few days in tranquility with his friends in that place so far away from the rest of the world.

As long as Lightning was by his side. In part, Hope thought when Snow gave them both a bear hug, because she was the only one who could keep Serah's husband at bay…


	13. The Haunting Dreams

**A/N: **_Another short piece I wrote for Hoperai Week 2015. I wrote something similar last year and it's been posted here, but this one's a different take, specially after learning about the events told in the novel._

* * *

**The Haunting Dreams**

_**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_

* * *

Every night, darkness took over Hope's dreams.

It trapped his mind, drowning it in horrible memories of the other world, nightmares fed by a past life full of misery.

He dreamed of the brutal Purge that claimed so many innocent lives and the image of his mother's lifeless body falling into the abyss. He dreamed of the faces of the hundreds of the Sanctum soldiers who died at his hands. He dreamed of the horrors he witnessed in Eden the day of Cocoon's fall, the corpses on the streets, monsters ravaging the city and the fight to death against the deranged Orphan. He dreamed of the following years in which he lost all his loved ones, being in absolute loneliness while surrounded by crowd. He dreamed of the fateful day when the Chaos destroyed the world and gave birth to Nova Chrysalia.

Darkness became even darker at that point.

The lies, the sense of failure, the false hope. The deep depression. The sweetly poisoned whispers of a rose-haired phantom. Despair, frustration, desire. Madness.

And then the pain came. And indescribable physical and mental agony. The glowing eyes of a whimsical, ruthless god. Humiliation. Anger. Regret.

And suddenly there was nothing. An infinite void, an endless abyss. His soul was no more. _He_ was no more.

Darkness.

Hope tried to run away. He was alone, he was afraid. He ran and ran through the dark void, fleeing from the memories, the sadness, the horror, the loneliness, and the pain. But it was useless: darkness always swallowed him, suffocating him, chained him to a life of eternal suffering as a slave of fate.

He cried out. In pain, in fear, in anguish, in despair. A last attempt to rebel against that fate. A last attempt to break free. He knew he was alone, and no one would hear him in the void. But still, Hope wouldn't surrender without fighting.

And then he always heard a voice.

"Hope… Wake up, Hope. Open your eyes…"

And the darkness turned to light.

The shadows were replaced by the beautiful face of a young woman with rose-colored hair and ice-blue eyes looking at him with sadness and concern, but also with incredibly sweetness and warmth. Then Hope remembered where he was: in the new world, at home, in bed. At his side was the woman he loved, who had given him strength to overcome all hardships for a thousand years.

"Light…", Hope muttered, pale and trembling, with eyes bright and wide because of the horror of the nightmares that assailed him every night. "Light…"

"Shh…", Lightning whispered, her arms around him and stroking his hair to calm him down. "I'm here. I'm here with you, Hope. Easy. I'm not going anywhere. I won't abandon you."

Hope nodded almost in need, and curled against her, hugging her back and burying his face in her rose hair. It was kind of a ritual at that point. It happened nearly every night, and Hope had come to dread the moment of going to sleep. He knew what waited for him in the dark world of his dreams.

But he also knew there would always be a light by his side that would wake him. And that was what gave him courage every night to face the ghosts of his past life in that other world.

She was the light that always led him back when he fell into darkness.

"Stay with me, Light… Please, don't ever let me go."

"I'll never let you go, Hope. We'll always be together."


	14. The Unforgotten Bets

**A/N: **_Another piece I wrote for Hoperai Week 2015 featuring Fang and Vanille. It was really fun writing this one. I laughed quite a bit while working on it. I just love the dynamic between both couples. Hoperai &amp; Fanille for the win all the way._

* * *

_**Fragments of Time**_

* * *

**The Unforgotten Bets**

_**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_

* * *

"Tell us, Hope", Vanille said with her trademark bright smile, and took a sip from the tea cup she held in her hands. "How was Nova Chrysalia like when you lived there?"

"Yeah, we saw it when it was about to kiss its ass goodbye", Fang added, who was sitting at her bound one's side. "Tell us about it in its good times!"

Hope made an awkward half-smile, and Lightning gave him a reassuring look. Fang and Vanille had gone from Hisperia, the country where they lived, to visit them; they'd been keeping contact, of course, but they hadn't seen each other since that trip to the Pyrien Mountains, three months ago. Besides Snow and Serah, they weren't living as far as Sazh and his family or Noel and Yeul, and Hope and Lightning had gotten even closer with them since their rebirth, but this was actually the first time the Pulsian women visited their house.

"I don't know if it could be said Nova Chrysalia ever had 'good times'", Hope replied, shrugging a bit. "There were some differences… but it wasn't much."

"But in your time, the Order didn't exist, right?", Vanille curiously raised an eyebrow.

"No, of course not. As far as I know, there wasn't any prominent religious group, specially back then."

"And he says it wasn't that different", Fang snorted sarcastically. "We'd been loads better if those priests had stayed at home praying and not plotting mass-scale genocides!"

Lightning, who only lived thirteen days in Nova Chrysalia –technically, in fact, fourteen days–, listened carefully without taking part on the conversation, sitting next to Hope, since she couldn't contribute much. She simply enjoyed watching the young man chatting peacefully with Vanille and Fang.

"The priests told us you ruled over the world before, kid", Fang said, and Vanille briskly nodded. "But knowing you, and knowing that just like your girl you're good kicking the gods in their asses, I'm now buying you lived in a cathedral."

Lightning thanked to herself that Fang hadn't made any comments referring to Hope's role as Bhunivelze's vessel; she was rude enough to do it without missing a beat, which couldn't be said about him.

"The Cathedral didn't exist when I lived there", Hope said tilting his head thoughtfully. "The seat of the government was northeast of Luxerion, not south."

"Northeast?", Vanille repeated, and Hope nodded. "But wasn't there the Warren?"

"Yes, it was. Before it was a citadel where the Conseil of Renaissance was based. Then I learnt after my– ", the young man hesitated for a second; Lightning knew the topic of his abduction by Bhunivelze was something he didn't like to talk about, "after my… disappearance, that it was abandoned and looted, and eventually was inhabited by those who didn't follow any creed and opposed the Order."

"In the end it never stopped being what it once was, or what it meant", Lightning said, and Hope looked at her blankly. "The Conseil of Renaissance opposed the gods and tried to save humanity without any divine intervention, right? You could say the Warren became the last stronghold of the Conseil and its ideals, and also the Academy's."

Hope blinked, genuinely surprised.

"If you see it that way…"

"The Academy!", Vanille widely smiled. "Tell us about the Academy! I'm sure it was such a lovely time!"

"Compared to a post-apocalyptic world like Nova Chrysalia, Vani, it was indeed", Fang mockingly said. Vanille giggled and slightly blushed; since their bonding ceremony, Fang had taken to calling her affectionately in public 'Vani'.

"Weren't you two supposed to see what happened in the world while you were in crystal stasis?", Lightning raised her eyebrows, in part to lend Hope a hand, who looked overwhelmed by so many questions. Fang, however, simply laughed heartily:

"We could see some things, another quite different is that we remembered all and we actually knew what we were seeing, sunshine. Crystal stasis is very similar to falling asleep and dream. Can you choose what you dream, what you see when you dream, or remember your dreams?, 'cause I don't."

"You should both know about it too", Vanille intervened. "You've been in crystal stasis as well, just like us."

"But it was for a very short time", Hope replied. "We didn't have much time to dream of many things, if we even did."

"I had the misfortune to spend much more time in crystal stasis after that", Lightning said then with evident bitterness, to what Hope instinctively put his hand over hers, "but it was a… very strange sleep. I never dreamed of anything or seen anything. Maybe it was because I had Serah's soul within me."

A brief, heavy silence happened because of the topic of Serah's death and Lightning's long crystal stasis, but it was soon broken by Fang:

"Well then, kid, you gonna tell us about your nerdy scientist empire from the past, or what?"

Hope shot her an offended glare.

"Fang!", he protested. "What do you mean by 'empire'? I'll have you know, I never ruled over Academia; I admit people… liked me, but I never took part in politics in that time. I was merely an advisor. And the Academy never once was an empire or a kingdom, or anything like that."

"It looks as if he got more offended because Fang called the Academy 'empire' than about the 'nerdy scientist' part", Vanille whispered to Lightning, hiding her amused giggling.

"He knows that's true and undeniable", the young woman replied, also trying to hide her laughter. "He won't bother arguing about that."

They got distracted then by Fang's answer, who seemed to be having a great time by teasing Hope:

"Sure, kid, whatever ya say. You were an organization dedicated to rebuild society in a desolate world in ruins after Cocoon's Fall… What better way than by a whole harem city to repopulate Gran Pulse? It's no secret every woman in Academia was throwing her panties at you, Sir-Director-So-Terribly-Handsome-Even-For-Those-Who-Swing-The-Other-Way."

"FANG!", Hope's face was now deep scarlet, to which both Fang and Vanille started laughing out loud. Despite herself, Lightning couldn't help but laugh as well. "How can you possibly know about that?!"

"Oh, c'mon, almost all women in Nova Chrysalia were once citizens of Academia! Even the priestesses of Luxerion said so! There were so many heartbroken ladies craving your favors…"

"They can get the hell in line", Lightning said, grabbing the embarrassed Hope's arm. "Hope's mine. And it took me quite a while to 'earn his favors' to let anyone take him from me."

Hope, red as a flanbanero, went to reply, but Vanille beat him:

"I'd rather say it was the other way around", she mischievously smiled. "From all the gang, I think you were the only one that didn't notice the tiniest of us had a _huge_ crush on you. Actually, we used to make bets when you were out there patrolling, about if something would happen between you two and what. Fang and Sazh still owe me some gil."

"… You did bets… about us?", now it was Lightning's time to blush.

"Now I think I understand better your face when we had that talk in the Yaschas Massif, Vanille", Hope couldn't get redder, but he scratched his hair in obvious embarrassment.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot about that!", Vanille laughed. "Yeah, it wasn't only for it, but when you told me that, I nearly thought I lost a lot of gil. And you were laughing on my face as you destroyed my dreams of wealth! I was always the one who bet the most for you two!"

"Don't know about that", Fang intervened teasingly. "I thought so until we found out Serah can give you a run for your money."

"Tell me about it", Lightning sighed, rolling her eyes, but she couldn't help smiling. "She didn't leave me alone until I finally decided to meet Hope, and I told her thousands of times I needed time."

"I guess that's something I'll have to thank your sister for the rest of my life", Hope shyly smiled, staring at her warmly and tenderly. She looked back at him at first in exasperation, but then her gaze softened; however, before she could reply, Fang ruined the moment:

"Well, with the _loooooong _life that lies ahead of us, you've just loaded yourself with such a debt."

"Fang!", Vanille protested, pouting. "Why did you interrupt them? It was such a lovely moment, and you messed it up!"

"Well of course, Vani, you think I'm stupid enough to take the risk of losing another of our bets? Something like, 'they'll tenderly look into each other's eyes and it'll culminate with a sweet kiss' or some cheesy crap."

"When did I bet on that?", Vanille blinked in bewilderment, oblivious to Lightning and Hope's increasing blush.

"You asking me?", Fang shrugged. "Sounds like something you'd bet on. I was more in favor of 'the kid will give her a flower and she'll punch him on the face'."

"But I won in the end! Both me and Snow, of course", Vanille put her hands on her hips and planted her forefinger to her bound one's chest. "Okay, we won the bet after three worlds went down the drain, but we won it nonetheless and I still want my money!"

Vanille's words made Hope to blink in surprise, as if he had just realized something for the first time. When he turned to Lightning, he guessed by her eyes that she was thinking the same.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?", the young woman asked him in a whisper when she caught his gaze, while Fang and Vanille argued.

"That we've seen three worlds be destroyed and lived after their respective apocalypses before we could be together?"

"I see you do", Lightning chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. "It's kinda hard to believe. And to think we'll almost certainly live to see the next one…"

Hope frowned; the truth was, the idea was breathtaking. At the end of the day, he'd lived more than a thousand years, just like his friends, and witnessed Cocoon's Fall, the Great Infusion –as the moment when Chaos flooded the world and Nova Chrysalia was born was called– and the End of Days. All that had to happen before he could be with Lightning again. It was true that both Snow and Serah and Fang and Vanille went through the same, but at least they already were in a relationship; Hope suffered everything without knowing if, at the end of the road, Lightning would want to share her life with him.

Now that he knew it was so, Hope no longer feared the next apocalypse and the world that awaited them after. They all were aware that they'd most likely see it; he learned –through his own research and also the knowledge his mind shared for 169 years with Bhunivelze's about the cosmos and its laws and dynamics– that having been directly exposed to the Crystal of Origin, which harbored all life and creation, not only allowed them to retain their full memories of the old world and their magic powers, but it had also granted them immortality and eternal youth. And even though Dajh and Yeul had aged in the time that passed after that, Hope knew they'd stop aging once they reached adulthood, as it happened to the rest.

Still, although the future waiting for them featured eternal life and more than one apocalypse, none of them had anything to fear. Everyone had their loved one by their side, including Hope and Lightning, who had been alone at the previous times before the last twilight and therefore they'd been the ones who most suffered. But that wouldn't happen again. Now they were together, and they had no intention to ever part ways, no matter how many eternities passed or how many worlds found death and rebirth.

When he looked at Lightning again, Hope didn't need to ask her. He _knew_ she was thinking the same. She, too, had suffered more than necessary for thinking she'd be left alone without her sister Serah, unaware that centuries ago she already found her other half. And she wouldn't let either anything come between them, not even fate, much less the gods.

In that moment they were distracted again by Fang and Vanille, still arguing over their bets:

"Fang! It was a bet and you accepted to go through it! Now don't start making up excuses for not paying what you owe me!"

"I don't give a damn about your bets, Vani; I'm not gonna pay a thousand gil for each kid they have, gotta deal with it."

Lightning and Hope looked at each other, blushing, but they soon smiled and got ready to enjoy how Vanille protested and started hitting Fang with the seat cushion.

If they only knew they'd both also been subject of bets among their Cocoonian comrades…


	15. Date

**A/N: **_I got a prompt in Tumblr asking me to write Hope and Lightning's first date in the new world, and as weird and outlandish as I am, I came up with a rather unique thing. By "unique", of course, I won't say it's good or not; it's just weird as hell. Not surprising coming from me._

_In any case, it was really fun writing this one. Particularly the beginning. I guess you can't expect me write stuff like that in the... hm, let's say, usual, sexy way. May be warned, I'm the ultimate mood-ruiner. And I have to admit a certain episode from _**The Big Bang Theory**_ inspired a line from the introduction._

_On another note: a dreamhare is a bunny-like monster hailing from _**Final Fantasy Tactics A2**_. But since it's **Final Fantasy** all the same, I can borrow some monsters from different games and put them in the new world, right?_

* * *

_**Fragments of Time**_

* * *

**Date**

_**Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII**_

* * *

Lightning couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"A _date_?", she incredulously repeated. "You're suggesting in this precise moment that we go on a date? You're kidding me, right?"

Hope slightly blushed and looked away. It certainly wasn't the common procedure, asking Lightning on a date in their… let us say, current situation.

"Well…", the young man cleared his throat; the moonlight that came through the window allowed Lightning notice his blush deepened. "Okay, I know this might not be the right moment… but I'm serious, Light."

She stared at him as if she had never before seen him.

"Hope, we live together. We've been sharing a bed for two months, and…", Lightning made an eloquent wave encompassing both of them, "well, everything that a relationship implies, you know. And you're suggesting dates at this point?"

Hope awkwardly scratched his head.

"I know that, but… it's just that you and I never dated. I thought… maybe it'd be nice to do something normal couples do."

"Since when exactly anything in our relationship qualifies as 'normal'?", Lightning arched her eyebrows.

"That's why I'm saying it."

Lightning was about to reply, but Hope's answer left her speechless. The truth was, she and Hope had started living together from the very moment she came to his house two months ago. They both were well aware of what they felt for each other, so it was pointless to give much more thought on their relationship. They were in love, they were both adults, so why bother waiting? They'd waited for more than a thousand years to be together. That was enough time.

But, of course, that meant they'd also put aside some things in their relationship. In particular, the first stages of usual development.

"I know it's not necessary, and I admit it wasn't the best moment to ask you…", Hope muttered. "But I'd like to try. As long as you want too, of course."

She wasn't quite sure about it. One of the things she liked the most about her life together with Hope was they'd avoided useless cheesy courtships and sappiness overall; he was particularly gentle and attentive with her, but he let her have her personal space for long periods of time. In part, because he needed it too after his traumatic experiences in the old world.

But when she looked up, she saw Hope's lost-puppy-eyes staring at her. Lightning knew she couldn't resist that look, and inwardly cursed his ability to get his way every time.

"Right", the young woman yielded with a resigned half-smile. "You better gladly surprise me with something special in compensation."

Hope gave her a gentle smile, his green eyes bright, and nodded before resting his head on the pillow and curl up beside her.

"My case isn't even that serious", the young man said after a little while in silence. "I've heard of people who proposed to their significant one as they were–"

"You do that, you remain single for all eternity."

"I love you too, Light."

* * *

A few days went by without Hope bringing up again the subject, and Lightning came to think he had forgotten about it, that it had been a fleeting idea. Not that it worried her much, but she found herself feeling a bit disappointed. She wondered what Hope would've planned if he really wanted to go on a date with her.

However, an afternoon in which Lightning was home alone because Hope had to go to the university of the closest city –by train, since they lived amidst the countryside– to impart a class and wouldn't return until evening, the young woman's phone vibrated when she got a message. When she read it, Lightning blinked in surprise, and couldn't hold back a small smile once she understood.

_"__How about we meet in home's front door at nine o'clock? As long as you haven't changed your mind, that is."_

So he hadn't forgotten, after all. Though coming from Hope, it wasn't surprising.

_"__You've still got the chance. Do I have to dress in something in particular?"_

Hope's reply came quickly.

_"__No, what you're wearing right now will do well. Don't worry about that."_

Lightning stared at the phone screen, puzzled. She didn't usually wear anything but her nightgown when she was home, and Hope knew it well. What kind of date did he have in mind?

She wouldn't find that out no matter how much thought she gave it, anyway. So she just kept writing the article for the editorial she worked for, glancing at the clock from time to time, growing more and more impatient as the time drew closer.

When it was five-to-nine, Lightning left the house and waited by the front door; Hope used to be quite punctual, and though she knew he wouldn't mind, she didn't want to keep him waiting. She didn't change clothes since Hope said it wouldn't be necessary, but she'd groomed herself a bit.

"Light?", Hope's voice said all of a sudden next to her; the young woman was startled, for she had been waiting for him to walk down the road snaking in front of their house. "I wasn't expecting you to be this punctual…"

"You scared me", Lightning looked at him quizzically. "Where do you come from? Didn't you come back by train?"

"Oh, um…", Hope seemed uncomfortable, and shyly smiled. "I got here a little early than expected, so I wanted to prepare some things. I expected it'd take you a bit longer to get ready…"

"What are you up to?", she asked, raising an eyebrow. Hope shook his head and smiled, somewhat more composed.

"Give me a moment to leave this inside and then I'll show you, okay?", he said, nodding to the suitcase and folders he always carried with him whenever he had to teach a class in university. "It won't take long."

Lightning shrugged and let Hope enter the house. She waited there for a couple of minutes, intrigued; Hope wasn't very prone to secrecy, but the truth was she hadn't come to know that side of him. Yes, it was undeniable both had –and she hadn't realized until sometime later– flirted a lot over the last thirteen days in the other world, but besides that she knew little about Hope's love strategies.

Then Hope came out again; he had taken off his jacket and tie, and put on the loose white shirt and baggy gray pants he used to wear at home. Lightning gave him a quizzical look, to which he merely smiled and extended his arm:

"May I, Light?"

She rolled her eyes, but smiled back and linked her arm with his.

"You're so classic", she told him as they began walking. "C'mon, spit it out, where are you taking me? You don't seem to have in mind a restaurant or anything like that."

Hope laughed.

"No", he replied with an enigmatic half-smile. "Actually, we're not going very far. You'll see soon."

As they walked through the meadow under the moonlight, Lightning guessed where they were going. She should've imagined, she thought. The small grove on a hill near their home; it was Hope's favorite place. She knew well enough some nights he sneaked there when he needed some time alone. She had been there a few times, but she preferred not going there so Hope could have his secret place free of unnecessary visitors.

The fact that he was the one taking her there was special _per se_. For another woman, perhaps a date in a small grove so close to home was nothing worthy of being called romantic. But Lightning knew Hope and how introverted he was; that he would open the very door of his secret place to her was quite the proof of trust.

"I see we're not going to the usual place for couples, huh?", Lightning told him jokingly, nudging him gently without unbinding her arm from his, once they ventured in the grove. Hope gave her a small smile in response.

"Of course not. You really thought I'd take you to dinner in an elegant restaurant with candles and stuff?", the young man looked at her, amused. "I'm classic, but not that much."

"You learn something new every day, they say. Well, how shall you surprise me tonight, Mr. Estheim?"

Hope smiled, his face lighting up in the darkness of night.

"I've been thinking about what you told me in the other world. You know, if one day we went camping, you'd roast a behemoth steak for me. See, this isn't exactly a camping trip, but we're lucky we live in the countryside and we don't have to go very far for it."

"Let's see if I got this", Lightning raised her eyebrows. "You've prepared all this for me to cook you the only thing I can?"

"Actually that's rather a collateral effect", Hope cheerfully laughed. "But don't you worry, I don't intend to make you cook for me. I thought, if you roasted that steak on the campfire, I could cook some of my specialties for you. We could say it's, um… culinary exchange?"

"You're hopeless, both you and your experiments", Lightning rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling, intoxicated by Hope's enthusiasm. "Well, I won't deny you've surprised me. Maybe I even prefer your idea of dating than the regular one."

They got then to a small glade between the trees, next to a little stream. Lightning knew the place, it was Hope's haven; she knew the young man had spent hours making the place fitting for staying there long hours, but last time she was there she was sure that wooden roof built on poles wasn't there, under which there were spread several blankets, a few books, some notebooks and his guitar. Galya's weather was overall rather wet and humid, so certainly Hope built that roof to protect his belongings from the rain. In the middle of the glade there was a pile of firewood stacked among remnants of previous campfires' ashes.

Hope gently released Lightning's arm at last, and without even turning around on his way to his shelter, he pointed to the stacked logs, and instantly a fire started to burn them. Lighting wasn't fazed by magic –much less when Hope had taken the habit of using it even for little things of their daily life– but she envied the ease the young man was gifted with to control it.

"Before coming home I went to the town to buy some food", Hope said rummaging through the blankets; his eyes shone with child-like excitement, "and I came to leave it here before going to get you. I'm better at cooking fish, but I also bought some meat… and the behemoth steak, of course; you don't have any idea how hard it is to get in this world, considering how many of them roamed Gran Pulse. And some vegetables too, they'll give the meal a nice touch. And–", Hope stopped short on his track when he pulled the bag out of the blankets and opened it to look at its contents. "Oh, no… No, no…"

"What is it?", Lightning asked, worried at seeing his smiling face turning into such an horrified expression.

"It can't be. Oh, no…", pale as paper, the young man began rummaging almost desperately inside the bag. "Don't tell me… oh, no…"

"Hope!", Lightning had to raise her voice to get his attention, and she knelt beside him. "What's wrong?"

He took a while to answer. Finally, he looked up at her and showed her the bag, his face shadowed by dejection and bewilderment.

"I… I'm afraid some animal took the liberty of enjoying our dinner in our place", he said with a sigh; when she peeked inside, Lightning found out there were only vegetables. "I should've closed the bag more carefully before going home… Look, it's even left the remains of the banquet in sight", indeed, just a little further, it was possible to see the pieces of paper used to wrap meat and fish on the grass. "How nice of it."

Lightning couldn't help it. When she looked at the remains of the dinner Hope had prepared and then looked back at him, she started laughing, unable to stop. Hope, pale and dismayed, stared at her with his eyes wide open:

"What are you laughing about?"

"Sorry, it's just…", the young woman made an effort to try regain her composure. "I know I shouldn't be laughing and it must've been hard for you to prepare all this, but… oh, Hope. You're a real case."

Hope didn't know how to react at first, with the dinner all ruined and Lightning laughing like that, but in the end he cracked a little smile.

"Well… At least we haven't run out of everything", he shyly said, pointing to the bag, and asked her: "Do you like vegetables?"

She laughed again, and gave him a wide smile to brighten up his mood.

"I'd rather have the steak, not gonna lie here, but if it's vegetables what we have, then we'll have to make the most of them before some dreamhare comes and steals them from us, too", she said, winking to him.

Hope reluctantly chuckled, glancing disappointed at the bag in front of him, and looked away.

"I know. It's obvious enough I'm terrible at planning dates. I shouldn't have asked you, Light. Not to ruin everything like this."

"Hey", Lightning put her hands on his shoulders to make him look at her; she didn't want to see him that sad, much less after watching how excited he was before finding out their dinner's fate, "listen to me. These are things that happen. Don't give it much thought, right? And don't you dare blame yourself or anything like that."

"But the purpose of all this was us cooking together, having a decent and special outdoor dinner without anyone bothering us…", Hope shook his head. "And for once I try doing something remotely similar to what normal couples do, I can't do anything but ruin it and not living up to your expectation of how our first date should–"

He couldn't continue, because in that moment Lightning sealed his lips with hers. He was completely caught off-guard, and let out a short gasp. Before he could even react, however, Lightning parted, her cheeks slightly flushed, but a warm smile on her beautiful face.

"Let's see now", she said, pretending to be deep in thought. "We have food we can cook together, even if it's just vegetables. We can therefore have dinner here outdoors, under the moonlight and by the campfire, with no one in sight. But even if we didn't have a single one of those things, I wouldn't mind in the least. For me, it'd still be a perfect first date. And you know why?", before Hope could reply, Lightning hugged him tightly and kissed him once more, briefly. "Because you're here."

He said nothing at first. His eyes went from wide in surprise to lighting up once filled with so much sweetness and love Lightning couldn't but feel her heart melting under his gaze.

"All the effort has been worth it just for this", the young man whispered, and then immediately his expression became loads more teasing. "Not everyday one hears you say these things, Light."

"You're such an idiot", Lightning laughed despite herself, getting off him with a playful shove. Hope landed on his back on the blankets, overcome by her physical strength as usual, but he laughed as well, his previous disappointment and dejection a mere echo of the recent past.

When Hope returned his attention to the food bag, he dug inside the vegetables, and his hands found something that until then he hadn't remembered. A wide smile formed in his pale, freckled face.

"… Hey, Light?"

"What's it now? You managed to conjure another steak with your magic to save the date?"

"I wish I had. No, but I forgot I put something in the bag that might be able to sweeten up the night", Hope showed her a couple of large chocolate bars and two cups. "How about we leave the vegetables for the dreamhare?"

Lightning smiled back, reaching out to grab a cup and a chocolate bar.

"Alright, Hope. Now you've just nailed the perfect date."


End file.
